Clash of Yokai
by Cossacks250
Summary: Set after the return of Enjin, Hime and the gang are determined to stop him from merging the real world with 'Otherworld' and unleashing a creature known only as 'The Accursed Demon'. However, unbeknownst to them all, something else will awaken and may be their only hope saving Sakurashin, and possibly the world from destruction. Some OC's. 2014 Godzilla here. Some changes too.
1. Prologue

**Greetings fellow FF readers and writers. I hope all of you are doing well and have had a good Christmas. There are a few notes that I would like to make about this crossover FF.**

 **1: I would like to personally thank RyuujiVantek, a good friend of mine who introduced me to this anime and has been invaluable in providing the perfect information for this amazing, yet sadly underrated piece of fine work. Without him, this FF would not exist.**

 **2: The main plot of this FF is starting from Chapter 20 of the manga (just after the main villain reveals himself to the characters). There will be other parts and recognisable themes and scenes incorporated from the manga and anime throughout the FF but this is where the main plot takes off after the prologue.**

 **3: I will be including some OC's into the FF.**

 **Okay, now with those out of the way, let us continue.**

* * *

If one were to say that it looked as if a natural disaster had struck, _that_ would be the biggest understatement ever uttered by humans.

The land had quite literally been torn apart. Huge forests and fields, once brimming with greenery, now stood trampled and smashed to bits. Small fires burned in several pockets of woodland scattered across the landscape and every so often a huge footprint could be deduced from the destruction across the surface. Animals that would have once thrived here in this pristine landscape had long since fled, or, rather horribly, been crushed or burned to death. Put simply, my dear readers, a natural disaster would not suffice in description. A natural apocalypse would be more suitable.

And observing all of the destruction that lay before him was a man aged about 25 or 26 years old with short black hair, brown eyes and a sad expression across his face, a few dry tear stains marked his cheeks. His clothes were simple robes and sandals but they were muddied and torn across the side. He had narrowly escaped being flattened when _they_ had been fighting near his village, a place that was now likely to have been smashed to bits and everybody there was either dead or had long since fled.

"Enyou."

A voice from behind the man spoke and he turned to see another man, tall like him but with shorter, brownish hair, brown eyes and dressed in robes, standing a few metres behind him, slightly lower than the crest of the hill. His face held a more emotionless look, but Enyou was no fool. He knew how this person felt. When you were brothers from the same clan, known across these lands as the Hiizumi, you would be a fool not to know how a relative felt.

 _And an even bigger one to know_ why _he would feel this way or that_ he mentally added as his brother joined him on the crest of the hill, surveying the destruction. It was as if he were god taking in the destruction man had caused across the world in the early days of creation. Of course such tales were alien to him, given that, to our modern eyes, they lived in another part of the world. To them, however it was as if they had been the only survivors of some kind of divine apocalypse.

Maybe that was what this had been.

"Is everyone safe?" Enyou asked his brother.

"Most," came the blunt reply from said person, known as Oushuu. "The bridge across the river was destroyed and several were crushed or burned to death in their homes."

 _Always the one for the pessimism in a situation's outcome_ Enyou thought, but did not pursue such feelings further.

"Where are the creatures now?" he asked Oushuu.

"Both are gone, one of them only being on the other side of the forest-" he paused and nodded over to their right where a large plume of smoke was rising high into the sky, though whatever was burning or smouldering was obscured by the trees and a few hills. "The other, I don't know where it is now." His tone dropped noticeably when uttering the last sentence.

Upon hearing these words, a sense of fear gripped Enyou, though he suppressed it. What! The other creature had left and its location was now unknown?! Oh, this was not good. With what had transpired here, it was imperative they stop it from getting worse. They _had_ to find it. They had to find _him._

Oushuu, sensing his brother's distress at the mention of the outcome of the fight, sighed heavily. "Enyou, you know that we cannot find him. And even if we do, we have no hope of stopping him!"

"And let him wreak havoc in the future?!" Enyou snapped at his older brother as he rounded on him, his belief that such things would be an absolute certainty. "No! We have to stop him! Now!"

Enyou went to walk past his brother but Oushuu stopped him by grabbing hold of his arm. His eyes showed no emotion, but Enyou could see they held a level of seriousness that seemed to clash with the determination in his own.

"Enyou, listen to me!" Oushuu said, his tone growing softer. "Going after him is a big mistake. Besides, _you saw_ what happened! He stopped a dangerous god from destroying everything we know!"

Enyou shook off his brother's grip. "Only because that thing does not want another to rival him. He is a god of _destruction,_ Oushuu! _Destruction_!" he spat this word out as if his sibling did not understand the very meaning of it.

"You are correct, but he also keeps the worlds in balance!" Oushuu countered vehemently. "Were it not for him, Ghidorah would have levelled the world. Yokai, human, everything would have been destroyed and countless lives lost!"

Enyou dismissed this statement of fact by his brother and turned his head over to the smoke in the distance. A slight grimace crossed his face as if he could see through the trees, or what was left of them, to whatever was burning on the other side. He knew, though. He knew very well given what had happened and whatever was burning had become a victim of _his_ power.

"I take it Ghidorah was burned by his fire?" he asked rhetorically, to which Oushuu gave a low noise of affirmation. "Are there any other fires burning in the forest or surrounding areas?" Enyou asked, this time turning his head back to his sibling.

"They've largely burnt themselves out, save for a few small pockets, but once the locals find out the calamity has passed they will return and put them out." A pause hung between them as Oushuu surveyed the landscape blankly as if he were an artist who had created something but now looked upon it with distain and utter contempt. "It will take many years for us to recover though," he added.

"And it could be more unless something is done," Enyou replied with a determined voice, glancing back in the direction of the smoke, obviously confirmed to be the smouldering remains of said creature Ghidorah, for a moment.

Something had to be done. They had to do something and soon or it would be too late for them to stop any further destruction! Leaving a creature such as this outside of the Otherworld would mean a death sentence for all in this world. And that was something his brother could not fathom in the slightest!

 _This monster being a restorer of balance? What nonsense! He is like a mad bull in a house, destroying everything within sight. He doesn't belong here._

And Enyou wanted to make sure that this creature would not cause havoc again. Of course, there was the issue of how this was to be done. Fighting it alone would be beyond suicidal given not only the power of the creature, but the very size of it. Compared to said abomination, he was merely an insect and likely to be killed simply by mistake on his opponent's part. No, he needed something better, something much more powerful.

As he pondered, an idea began to take shape in his brain. It was like the coming together of some kind of mighty neurological structure, each (in this case) biological slab, pillar and floor growing into something that he thought would work. _Yes, yes!_ A smile of fascination began to creep onto his face. It would work! It _would work!_ It would be dangerous, yes, but the benefits and the safety that would result from this action outweighed the negatives. People would think he was insane, looney, psychotic! But let them feel that way. _He_ would solve this problem. They would see what he was doing was for the greater good!

Of course, there was his brother. He would no doubt oppose such a proposition, especially one with such a high possibility of bringing further death and destruction to the world. But he would see what he endeavoured to do _was_ the right thing. No, it was the _necessary_ thing; not just to satisfy his own preconceived notions of satisfaction but for the safety of the world and those on it yet to come.

It was either that, or they would be doomed to destruction, a complete overturn of order only to be replaced by chaos, an end to the very civilisation that they would know and hold dear.

"Enyou!" Oushuu's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to face his brother's emotionless, yet hard hitting stare as if he were a parent frowning at something naughty a child had done. "If you decide to do this, I will not be able to come with you." He said, pausing for a moment to let the words sink in. "You know that, right?"

That did take Enyou by surprise for a moment, but then he reminded himself that Oushuu was his brother after all, and if there was one thing that his sibling could do, it was somehow learn the motives and plans for anything he [Enyou] wished by just reading his face. It was like he was some kind of demi-god/god.

He did not reply straight away to his brother's question but instead turned away, looking at the ground and sighing heavily. "I know," was all he replied with.

"And you do realise that you _won't_ be able to complete such a task in your lifetime, no matter how much effort you put in?"

"Then my descendants will have to take up this role for me," was all he replied, meeting his brother's gaze with a determined expression. "Whether this goes on for a century, or a millennia, or until the end of our world; rest assured, Ouhsuu."

He paused to look back in the direction of the smoking remains, his desire clouding his rationalities. "I _will_ destroy Godzilla."

 **Author's Note: I wish you all a happy New Year.**


	2. Revelation

**The present day**

Much had changed across the world over the past thousand years or so. Nowhere was this more evident than in the town of what was now called Sakurashin. Having previously been an area made up of forest, a river and a few scattered villages, it had grown considerably outside of Tokyo which was just no more than an hour or so drive away to the east. Unlike its larger neighbour, however, the town had managed to retain much of the natural beauty rather than level everything to make space for its inhabitants. Large groups of trees were dotted around the town and the forest of Aokigahara bordered the town to the west, this being just north of Mt Fuji that stood proud and tall over the landscape like a god watching over its people. What was more, the river near the town continued to flow, often becoming a place of joy and swimming and relaxation in the summer for the town's people. Some had described it as a heaven on earth, despite the seven enormous cylindrical trees that formed a ring around the town. These we shall move onto later.

What made the town very attractive though were the evenings and mornings. When the days began and end, the surrounding natural landscape around the town looked ever more graceful and amazing than ever. Mt Fuji was particularly attractive as it seemed to glow in the morning sun, and the evenings were better as when the sun set behind the mountain, it became a silhouette against a colourful sky and radiated such beauty, such peace, such relaxation that one person described it as being "Fantastical!"

To those who lived in Sakurashin, it was indeed a true statement.

However, despite there being a full moon over the town in a cloudless, star-filled sky, a sight that would normally boggle the mind as to how anything so beautiful could exist, tonight was different. For four people in particular, tonight was changing their lives at this very moment.

* * *

"Ao, who is that?"

The cat-eared girl could not bring herself to reply, out of shock from both the sudden revelation before them and the grief and sadness as to the identity of the one standing before them that threatened to break her heart.

With a dim street light overhead, which only partially illuminated his body as if the darkness around them emphasised whose side he stood on, the person in question let loose a light, but evil chuckle. He was a tall man, about 6ft 2 with thick silver/grey hair, a pair of round glasses across his fiery gold coloured eyes. He had a thick winter coat on with a pair of black trousers and a pair boots that looked like they were from the army were placed on his feet. What really stood out about him, though, were the pair of cat-like ears that protruded from within the thickness of his hair on the sides of his head.

To Hime, Kotoha, and Kyosuke, this person was someone new, yet incredibly dangerous. To Ao, however, he was someone she was all-too familiar with.

"Gin."

Hime turned snapped her head round to look at her feline eared friend. "What!" she exclaimed vehemently in shock, a look of disbelief on her face.

"No need to feel disbelieved!" came the voice of their adversary, standing a good thirty feet in front of them, his voice being soft, yet dripping with malice and a desire to commit devious deeds. "She's right. I am Gin, or really the one who possesses him." He gave a twirl on one foot as if he were a model showing off his coat. "How do I look?" he asked mockingly, shooting them a toothy grin.

Hime glared at him venomously. "I don't care who you are or who you think you are, but you are not going to threaten this town and its people anymore!" she declared, taking out her jade green staff and going into a battle pose. "Not while _I_ am in charge!" she added, determination seeping through her veins.

The man rolled his eyes and gave a yawn; no doubt another sign intended to mock her. "Where _hasn't_ that been said before," he said nonchalantly. "You should really change your lines; they're literally repetitive of what others have said before."

Hime's ruby red eyes narrowed dangerously at him when these words reached her ears. Oh, he was going to get it! She was so pissed off, she could feel the anger coursing through her and it made her free hand ball into a fist and the other grasp her staff even tighter than before. How dare he say such things to mock her! More importantly, how dare he come here and threaten the town that she and her ancestors, as well as her friends and people, had worked so hard to build! He was nothing more than a despicable creature, and they _were_ going to stop him.

The man [Gin's] gaze turned to Ao, meeting her melancholic expression with a bright smile. "Aww, cheer up, dear sister!" he said happily. "You're big bro is back! Aren't you happy to see me?!"

Ao's lip quivered and she struggled to hold back the tears. Kotoha put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, whispering a few calm words into her ears. As much as she did not want to believe it, she had to accept that her brother was standing before her; the one who she loved and looked up to within her own family. He had been … he had become this … this demon, this thing! Oh, it was unbearable to take in.

How could it have happened? How could her sweet and caring older brother have become this monster? This horrible monster who was set on creating chaos?! How could it have happened! She thought he had just gone away for a while and would return. Ao had been looking forward to the day he would return and she would jump into his arms and give him the biggest hug imaginable.

Now, like a horrific nightmare, all of that had been taken away from her.

Hime and Kyosuke both took a step forward; the energy of the latter's power swirling around him like a vortex. Though they were nervous in having to face Gin, they were ready to do whatever it took if it meant saving the town. This was their home, after all, and they _were_ going to defend it.

Gin just glanced at Hime to Kyosuke and then back again. Then he sighed heavily as if fed up with their display of defiance.

"Oh please, don't bother," he said to them with a slightly irritated voice. "I'm not going to waste my time trying to fight you. I have much a much bigger fish to fry and you all will be flies, nothing but a nuisance."

"Just try and stop us, Gin!" Kyosuke snarled at him, baring his teeth and concentrating his power for a strike. "It's four against one. You can't stop us."

Gin burst out laughing. It was not a laugh that sounded evil, but more gleeful as if he was being entertained at the circus and what he was witnessing was hilarious. "Oh, please," he said, giving a slight shake of his head. "An ogre demon who can't control his power if he has a tantrum, a mayor who can't seem to protect her people even though she swore to do so, a spiritual language user whose only noticeable aspect is her chest and my dear sister who's crying like a baby!" He stopped and laughed again, ignoring the angry looks Hime, Kyosuke and Kotoha were giving him, the two former especially looking like they wanted to rip him limb-from-limb. "This is more of a bad joke than an actual fighting team." He added.

With a cry, Hime charged forward and leapt into the air, raising her staff above her for a downward strike. She was set on one thing and one thing only: _defeat Gin. If necessary,_ _ **kill him!**_

Suddenly, she was hit by a blast of energy. The next thing she knew, she flew back through the air, landing with a painful thud on her back, her green staff falling to the ground beside her. Pain flared up and down her back, making her feel as if they had been broken in the fall. She tried to move her body. Yes, she could but only a little. Thankfully, she was still able to move. She sat up and looked ahead, seeing Gin standing with his feet slightly apart and one hand stretched out in front of her with an open palm. Whatever he had done, it had hurt, _really bad_.

"Hime!" Kyosuke rushed in front of her, readying himself to deflect another strike of energy that would surely come their way. "Kotoha, Ao, get her out of here!" he ordered, keeping his eyes focused on Gin.

"No!" With a grunt of pain but a surge of determination, she got up, grabbed her staff and stood next to Kyosuke. "We'll take him together!" she said.

"You'll get yourself killed!" the **oni** spirit tried to deter her but she was having none of it.

"No, Kyosuke! I'm the mayor and it's _my_ responsibility to defend this town." She readied her staff, meeting the nasty smile Gin gave them with a deathly glare, her eyes glowing like molten lava. "You go in from the left, I'll attack from the right. We'll try and cut him off; take him down at once. Kotoha!" she glanced over her shoulder at the other two about ten feet behind them. "Get Ao out of here!" she ordered.

From across the street, Gin could only 'humph' at the sight of this. Two opponents, one oni and a mayor, fighting together to stop him. Interesting, no doubt, but still quite pointless. They were only going to get hurt. Besides, as he said, he a bigger fish to fry, and he knew just how to do it.

 _Still_ he mentally said to himself as he took off his coat, letting it fall to the ground to reveal a black tank top over a normal framed body; one that held so much power and danger to his enemies. _If it's a whoopin' they're wantin'!_

Teeth clenched, weapons and power at the ready and a will to fight surging through their veins like the flow of blood, Hime and Kyosuke prepared to launch themselves at Gin. Behind them, Ao and Kotoha could only watch. They wanted to help, but Kotoha had been told to get Ao out of here, much to her dismay. And Ao was clearly not going to want to fight her older brother for fear of hurting him. No, she could not bring herself to do it. Good or bad, she still cared about him and loved him just as she did with her friends. She would have to le-

The loud whir of a revving engine almost scared them out of their skin. Something shot past them and Hime and Kyosuke quickly darted out of the way, just missing a vehicle, now confirmed to be a motorcycle, skid to a halt where they had been standing. Three people dismounted, facing Gin. The first, the driver, was a young man of about 18-22 years old with short black hair, brown eyes and a handsome face. He was wearing a black jacket with a blue top underneath, a pair of jeans and white shoes.

His passengers were a young woman who was pretty and wore the attire of a nun. Clasped to a belt around her waist were two sheathed katana blades. The second passenger was a young boy of about ten years old dressed very casually in a pair of short, a top and a hoodie and pair of sneakers with a hat covering his brown hair.

"Oh, lookie here! Come to join the party, have we?!" Gin proclaimed loudly with a mock air of surprise.

"Well, seeing as you've made your presence clear to the town, we're up for some fun." The nun replied, taking out one of her katana blades.

"Just be careful, Yae," the man warned her. "We never know what he'll throw at us."

"It's no biggie, all you have to do is tune him and we're done." The boy piped up in a relaxed manner as he took a cigarette out of his pocket and, using his power, lit it and took a long drag, blowing out the snow into the air. With the way he was acting, anyone would think that he was just relaxing somewhere without a care in the world.

The man went to reply but Hime walked up to him with a tight lip. Her face held an expression that clearly showed she was about to berate him for something.

"Next time, try not to run us over, Akina!" she said sternly as she took up position between him and the young boy; Kyosuke moving next to Yae.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly but his attention was quickly drawn to Gin, who cackled loudly in a near insane manner. He was bet forward slightly with a hand resting on his chest.

"Oh, this is just pure gold!" he said, taking a deep breath to control himself and looking at all of them. "It's like a bad rip off of the A-Team. A nun, a god taking the form of a young kid, a Yokai for a mayor and a human. But I will thank you for making me laugh, it has been a pleasure."

Akina glared at Gin furiously. How dare he act like this, as if it was a game! How _could_ anyone act this way?! He was nothing but a terror, and he had to be stopped, here and now!

"Hime, what do we do?" he asked, but received no reply from the mayor and turned to look at her. "Hime, are you okay?"

Her face held a blank expression, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as if she had seen something shocking and could not register it from her brain. Gin's words had struck her hard as if she had collided with a brick wall. _A Yokai for a mayor?_ But that would mean … that would mean that _I_ … _I'm …_

"I can't be," she breathed in shock, feeling her body going stiff, overwhelmed by this 'revelation'. _It can't be true, can it?_

Gin rolled his eyes. "Obviously, he-" he pointed at Akina. "-hasn't told you, _Mayor_ ," he emphasised this word with a sarcastic tone. "You _are_ a Yokai. Don't believe me, just look under your scarf. I would show you myself, but I gotta run. I have some gardening to do."

"You're not going anywhere!" Akina growled menacingly at Gin. "It's time to send you back to Otherworld."

Gin sighed heavily, closing his eyes and shaking his head as if to say: _Wow. I was hoping that they got the message. Obviously not._

"Clearly," he spoke after a moment's silence, looking back up at the group, meeting each and every one of their gazes. "We have to do this the hard way." He shrugged. "Oh well."

A flash of light as bright of the sun filled the air, followed by a piercing cry and something falling to the ground. Yae, Kyosuke and the young boy dived for cover, shielding their eyes but Hime stayed where she was, her arm raised in front of her to try and protect herself in some way. After about three seconds, the light instantly faded and the group looked up to see Gin was gone, his form having quite literally disappeared into the night like he was never even there to begin with.

It was what, or _who_ lay on the ground that seemed to be the only evidence of his presence. "Akina!" Hime cried.

The young man lay on the ground on his side, head facing up towards the sky and eyes closed. A large mark was scorched across his top and a few drops of blood began to fall from the back of his head to the ground. He did not move, which made the mayor panic even more.

"Akina!" she cried again as she knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his head. The others rushed over, all of them wearing concerned looks on their faces. "Ao, is he okay?" Hime asked her cat eared friend.

She closed her eyes for a moment as if she was trying to meditate. Then she opened them. "He's fine, just asleep. But we should get him to the hospital, just in case. Juri will want to check him over anyway."

The others nodded in agreement but even as they left, Kyosuke carrying Akina over his shoulder, none of them said a word. Privately, they were all beginning to wonder how what happened tonight could change them, how it would affect their bond. Hime even glanced anxiously at Ao as they left, seeing her friend with her arms wrapped around herself and looking down at the ground, not saying a word to anyone.

 _We're going to have a lot to talk about in the days ahead._ She mentally said to herself.


	3. A plan in motion

**Undisclosed location**

"Akiro, are you here?!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Gin exhaled heavily as he flopped down onto a sofa, glad to be able to finally rest his back against the soft furniture. The night was coming to an end, and hiding for much of it to avoid detection had taken _a lot_ of energy from him and he needed to recuperate. Even though he was a Yokai, he still needed to eat and sleep like any other Yokai, or human even for that matter. At least he had someone he could count on to help him lay low whilst he set his plans in motion.

As he waited for said person, Gin took off his glasses and looked around the room, taking in the grey walls, the armchair sitting across the coffee table in front of him, the drawn curtains, the few pictures of the seaside that hung on the walls around the room and a coat rack in the corner. Besides those and a few other things, it was very bare. Tidy, but largely empty. There were three doorways in this front room, one being behind Gin (this one being the entrance to the place he was at now); one on the wall to the left that led into a kitchen, and the other on the wall a few feet behind the armchair that led to a bedroom, though the door was closed, so Gin was unable to look inside.

Contrary to what you might think, my dear readers, he had not fled to a rundown area or to a hidden realm outside a highly populated. Rather, an apartment within the town of Sakurashin itself was where he was hiding. And it was not a bad one either; not a suite but certainly a level higher than a ghetto. He just had to hope that no one in the apartment complex recognised him, which was highly unlikely, and that Ao did not find him using her ability to read minds.

 _Ao._ Remembering her name made him feel melancholic, sad, regretful even. _How could he …_

 _No!_ He repressed these thoughts. He had to focus on more important things now, not ponder and cry about petty feelings for family! There was a mission to complete and _that_ was what he was going to do.

Though only if _someone_ would get in here already! "Akiro!" Gin called out again, this time his voice more demanding.

"Alright, I'm coming for God's sake!"

A man about 5ft 7 walked out of the kitchen, an annoyed look on his face that told Gin: _Can't someone get some time to do a little sorting out?!_ He was wearing a blue top and a pair of baggy jeans, his bare feet lightly hitting the floor as he walked into the front room. At first glance he looked like any normal person, which would, in turn, lead people to question why he had allowed the currently most wanted being into his home. Gin, however, knew better. The deep blue sea eyes, brown hair and two empty glasses in the man's hand told reminded him of _who_ this person, or Yokai was.

"Took your time!" Gin commented, emphasising this by looking at his empty wrist as if he were a teacher scorning a pupil for being late by looking at their watch.

Akiro ignored him and set the glasses down on the table. "Well sorry, _Your Highness!_ " he replied, giving a mock bow to highlight his distaste with the attitude of his 'guest' (for lack of a better word) as he sat down in the chair. "But some of us do have things to sort out around our apartments, not go running around causing chaos on the streets. It's a wonder that you weren't caught, given what I've heard on the radio."

"Oh please, they were no real threat to me," he retorted.

"Then why were you trying to hide, seeing as that would explain why you came here so early in the morning?" he pointed out.

Gin said nothing but instead shot an annoyed at Akiro, who responded by raising his eyebrow and giving him a look that showed his question was not only a complaint, but also slightly rhetorical, as if he had witnessed everything that unfolded hours earlier. _You know that you're not invincible and, therefore, still prone to being harmed just like any other Yokai or human._

Gin tutted and indicated at the empty glasses. "Well, aren't you going to pour me a drink?" he asked rhetorically.

Akiro rolled his eyes and, looking down at the glasses, clicked his fingers. A level of water appeared out of nowhere and rose about half-way to the top before stopping. Gin grabbed it quickly and emptied the glass in one gulp before Akiro had even put his to his lips.

You will no doubt be wondering how someone like Akiro would end up housing the wanted Yokai, Gin. Well, this water manipulating human/spirit had been drawn into the villain's arms like Morino, the mayor of the neighbouring town who had, along with is assistant, Shinozuka, recently clashed with Hime and the gang, and others had. Gin had played on their desires and wants to rid Sakurashin of someone they deemed to be unworthy of her title. With Akiro, though, it was slightly different. Whilst the spirit did respect the mayor and her crew for keeping the town safe from any danger, particularly from anyone who tried to use the Nana-Gou, he too wished that she would be replaced with someone more 'acceptable' as he had put it. Having said that, he abhorred any violent overthrow of established positions of power, even the very thought of violence altogether disturbed him, and Hime was no exception. He knew that such things would only lead to ruin and chaos rather than anything prosperous. History had shown it a hundred times over.

 _It's for the best really_ He had told himself some time ago. _She's a lovely person, but she's too young. Someone else needs to step in and take control. And I know that I'm not the only one who thinks like this. But she won't give up power, and_ that, _combined with her attitude, is really going to affect the whole town one day._

He began to think of two things. One; in a rather hypocritical way, maybe it was time to accept that she was the mayor and let her get on with it, however much he despised it. Truth be told, she had done good things for the town and made it clear not long after taking office that she wanted Yokai and humans to get along as if they were brothers and sisters. Other candidates at the time of her election had only feigned such things just to win the position, but she _meant_ it. As young, and to him, unqualified as she was, even he had to admit she had a level of disposition that he admired about her.

The second thought in his mind was, again being rather hypocritical, that maybe someone _should_ do something about her, even going as far as to remove her completely from the scene. He shuddered mentally at this, knowing that thinking of such things made him hate himself and would also lead to the very thing he did not want to see happen. Yet, maybe it would be the only thing that would save the town from certain destruction.

"I know what you're thinking," Gin's vice snapped him out of his thoughts. He was looking at Akiro with an expression that said: _I'm on top of things_. "And don't worry, everything will be fine."

Akiro shifted a little in his chair, looking away from Gin as he drank his glass of water. "I hope so," was his reply, setting his glass on the table next to Gin's. "So what do you have planned?" he asked after a moment's silence between them, though he dreaded what he was about to hear.

"Facing them head on wouldn't be the smartest thing to do." Gin explained, getting up from the sofa and walking over to the window. "And it would be a waste of time, considering what I really came here for." He added, pulling back one of the curtains and looking out over the city, taking in the bright lights below the star-filled sky as if it were a representation of light and beauty against the dark and horrific.

"You know can't fight him alone. You _will_ die!" Akiro pointed out to him, concern in his voice. "You know what your ancestor said to you all those centuries ago; it will be suicidal to even try and stop him."

"Well I have to do something!" Gin rounded on Akiro, giving him an angry glare before looking back out the window at the town before him, looking down at the street to see cars drive by and the odd person walking along the pavements. "He shouldn't have been allowed to remain here after what happened with Ghidorah. _That_ kind of Yokai is a danger and he must be destroyed."

"Look, even if you do find this thing and face him, how are you going to fight him? You know that Godzilla is a dangerous creature and he _will_ kill you without any effort on his part."

Gin rounded on him. "That is why I won't be facing him alone." He replied.

Akiro' face darkened with terror for a brief moment, eyes growing as wide as dinner plates. His lower lip quivered a little as if he was going to suddenly break down and beg not to be dragged into a fight with Godzilla. If that happened, he would surely die along with Gin. Part of him even started to wonder if the Yokai in front of him was insane. If so, he would have to do something about him.

"Don't worry!" Gin sighed. "You're not going to fight him." (Akiro breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this) "But I need your help in finding a way to contact Manda."

Akiro gave him a puzzled look. "Who?" The name clearly meant nothing to him, which did surprise Gin. He was more irritated though.

He face-palmed and gave him an annoyed expression. "Seriously, Akiro?" he asked, partly hoping that this water spirit/human was only joking but the blank face told him: _obviously not._ "I thought _you_ would have known." Another huff escaped his lips but he decided to continue.

"Manda is a water dragon from the Otherworld and, unless he has been tuned, is still somewhere in this world. He is not the most powerful creature, but he will at least give us a chance to fight Godzilla effectively." He explained. "As I said, we need to find a way to summon him."

"What? To here?" Akiro asked.

"Hopefully not, but if it comes to that, then I'm sure the _mayor-_ " the tone of his voice on this word sounded as if he was repulsed by having to acknowledge her as such, even if it was in a disgraceful way. "-will be smart enough to have everyone evacuate."

Akiro nodded slightly, though he was a little uncertain about one aspect of this plan, one that really made him feel conflicted. "What if Godzilla decides to come for _us_ instead?" he asked anxiously.

Gin did not answer, though the way the determined look in his eyes faded at Akiro's question was more than enough of one for the water Yokai. He resumed looking out of the window, taking in the many lights of the town, many of them being a symbol of the warmth and safety for the families that lived here; both human and Yokai. For a moment, he was lost in its tranquillity, its seemingly endless and effective way of keeping back the darkness _and_ making the people here happy like their own personal paradise. It began to pain him a little that he was trying to undertake such a dangerous and momentous task with the probability of innocents getting caught in the middle being exceptionally high.

 _No!_ He shook these thoughts from his mind, focusing on the larger picture at hand. _No matter what happens, Godzilla has to go._

"No matter what happens," he muttered, his voice just loud enough for Akiro to understand what he was saying. " _I_ have to do this. The world will be a better place without him."

Akiro could only wonder if the same could be said for Gin.

 **Author note: Hey fellow readers and writers. Just as a way of making a point, the reason I decided to use Manda in this FF instead of another creature like Mothra or Anguirus or Megalon whatever is because he, like Ebirah and Varan, is rather underrated and so I think should be included more.**


	4. Learning of them

**The next morning**

The sun shined brightly in the almost completely blue-filled sky. A gentle breeze blew through the town, a nice respite from the heat of the sun in this June weather. A feeling of peace hung in the air considering what had happened some twelve hours earlier, though the mayor's office had been quick to explain it as a simple attack by a few gangsters who were causing trouble but had, thankfully, been rounded up and put in prison. This seemed to satisfy the townspeople and, come morning, everything was back to normal, the events of last night barely being passed around in conversation. Around Sakurashin, people went on with their daily lives; taking children to school, shopping, going to work, meeting family and friends etc. Life had, quite literally, returned to normal for the town.

Well, at least as normal as it would be for the same could not be said for the mayor and her group.

Standing on one of the platforms that had been fitted to the side of the Nana-Gou towers, Hime stood looking out over the city, her face holding a solemn, almost melancholic expression. She was dressed in her usual attire; a pair of knee high black boots with stockings that went up to her thighs, a yellow top with a long-sleeved black jacket over it and a thick scarf wrapped around her neck. Her arms were wrapped around her chest as if comforting herself given what had happened recently.

 _If only I could_ she thought to herself, sighing lightly and scanning the skyline of Sakurashin again for the umpteenth time. _Some mayor I've turned out to be._

This was one of the few times that Hime had allowed herself to be worried. Normally, she supressed her fear and sadness, concerned that it would only impede any progress she planned to implement into the town. _"Nothing but progress,"_ she had told the inhabitants of the town shortly after taking office. And she done everything in her power to stick by that promise, to be the best mayor that she could be, to fulfil the legacy that her grandmother had spent years teaching her from when she was young.

 _If only she were here now._

Hime pushed those thoughts out of her head so as to avoid getting upset. Her grandmother would not approve anyway of such feelings if she were on duty. _"A mayor must always be the pinnacle of grace and dignity."_ Those very words echoed in her mind, being her grandmother's whilst she was on her deathbed, and Hime had sworn to do the best she could and more to keep Sakurashin safe from any harm.

And yet … Yet, everything that she stood for, that she wanted to protect was now in danger. And it was all because of these stupid, damn Nana-Gou!

 _If only there was a way to destroy them, or at least contain the power then we could severely limit the destructive capability of Gi-_

"Hime?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as the voice reached her ears. She looked over her shoulder and saw Akina standing behind her, a concerned look on his face. Behind him was an open door in the floor, this leading to a ladder that had also been fit to the Nana-Gou some time ago.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, hands inside his pockets and jacket zipped up tight to try and keep out some of the chilly morning breeze.

"I'm fine," she replied bluntly, turning her head away from him to resume looking out across the town. "I should be asking how _you_ are."

"Well, I'm not dead or dying-" he replied but she cut him off.

"Well, you could have been! It's a miracle that you were put to sleep and nothing worse!" A pause hung between them and she sighed heavily. "I don't want you to suffer for my mistakes, Akina." She added, her tone a little sadder than before.

"Well, I wasn't doing much of that to begin with, Hime," he intervened, desperate to get a word in. "Juri fixed me up. And everyone else is okay." She gave him a sceptical expression, her eye brow raised as if to emphasise this. It was a clear way of saying: _"Oh really?_ Everyone _is okay?"_ "Well, _almost_ okay."

She shook her head in disappointment, still annoyed at herself for not being able to be the protector she had always hoped to be. But Akina had also felt her anger last night, though not because he had allowed himself to be hurt by Gin.

Obviously this will require an explanation, dear readers. Last night when the group had taken Hime to the hospital to get him checked up, which was all over and done with in the course of an hour thanks to Juri's expertise, Hime had tried to console Ao over the revelation that her older brother Gin was the villain. Gradually, after coming to terms with what had happened and planning what to do next, Kyosuke had recalled that Gin had stated Akina may have known about this. Upon hearing this, Hime had marched back into the room Juri had put Akina in and, just as he was stirring from his sleep, pretty much interrogated him in front of the others. After initially calming her to enable him to get a word in and, with the others looking at him, expecting him to reveal what he knew, he took a deep breath and began to explain.

Put simply, some years ago he and several other tuners, among them Akina and Akina's own grandfather, had hoped to stop any Yokai from trying to integrate the dimensions using the Nana-Gou. To do so, they had tuned Gin to the Otherworld to try and do … whatever he could. Obviously, the plan had not worked as they had hoped, last night being more than enough proof of that.

It had taken a few moments for everyone to process what Akina had told them. When it was done, Ao, who had been silent the entire time, burst into tears and rushed out of the room; Kotoha following close behind to try and calm her down. Hime had told Akina to get some rest and everyone left. Since then, a sort of unease had hung over them. Ao had been trying to come to terms with her brother potentially being the biggest threat to the town in a long time and had been staying in the office, lying on the sofa with a blank expression. Kotoha had been sitting with her and Kyosuke and his younger sister, Touka, had checked up on them earlier this morning.

As for Hime, she had been on her own trying to piece everything together, and had eaten a few meals of ramen in the meantime. The same questions had been burning through her mind for the last few hours, constantly repeating themselves. _What had he meant by needing to fry a bigger fish? Where was this supposed 'bigger fish' anyway? And with the Nana-Gou around, what else did he plan to bring to help him? Obviously something not good in any way, but what?_

Despite constant asking and pondering, she had practically no answers for any of these questions.

Akina walked up to her, hoping that she would turn to look at him so they could start some kind of strategy to try and resolve this matter they now faced. But she did not even so much as glance in his direction. It was as if she did not even know he was there, or was deliberately ignoring him. The latter could have been possible, given that the former was an obvious impossibility, but Hime may have just been in a thinking mood. Whenever she was in one of these, she tended to just blot everything and everyone out. So he joined her in staring out across the town, the noise of the streets below barely being audible to them.

A sigh. "What are we gonna do, Akina?" Hime asked him, still keeping her head focused on the town around them.

"Well, our obvious course of action is to try and tune Gin back to the Otherworld, before he does any more damage." He replied, pausing to cough a little. "Question is; how? He's not gonna just walk out and let us take him down like that." He snapped his finger to emphasise his point.

"Ao won't be very happy for us to do something like that to him." Hime commented irritably. "But she'll have to accept it. As long as he remains here, he's a threat to the entire town."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, though, Hime?" Akina asked her.

She shot him a look, her lips tightly clasped together and eyes narrowed; a clear way of saying: _What you expect us to just let the cries and pleas of someone in the office endanger the entire town?_ It made him flinch a little but he kept his cool. Years of experience with this had made him able to remain headstrong.

"Akina, I'm aware that Ao wants to keep her brother alive and away from harm but right now we _have_ to put Sakurashin first. If we don't, then everyone is going to suffer!"

"I know that, Hime!" he replied. "But what if we try a different approach first? What if we try and reason with him first?"

She tutted and rolled her eyes, looking back at the city before them. "It's not going to work, Akina."

"How do you know?"

"Because I saw how determined he was by the look in his eyes. My grandmother always told me that you can tell what someone's intentions are by the look in their eyes. He _was_ and _will_ use the Nana-Gou to merge the dimensions. And anyone who gets in his way will pay the ultimate price." She paused, calming herself a little before continuing. "Look, if we let Ao or anyone try and talk to him, we don't know what will happen and he could very easily hurt someone very easily. We'd probably even be sending them to their deaths. And with someone that dangerous walking around, we have only one course of action." She turned her entire body to face him, her body language a clear emphasis of her seriousness regarding the situation. "No matter what: Gin has to go!"

Akina could not help but find himself intimidated by her words. Then again, with someone as stern, powerful and rather blunt as Hime, whoever was on the receiving end of one of her serious statements had to have nerves of steel _not_ to be intimidated. After all, being so young and having been the mayor for a number of years had not waned her attitude or headstrong personality. Rather, it seemed to have strengthened it, and when it came to protecting the town there were absolutely _no_ exceptions in dealing with the threat. The words she had told him a few days ago came back to him almost by instinct.

 _"If it has fallen so far to become helpless and a threat to Sakurashin, I'll kill it myself."_

 _And that includes_ us and herself. _Ancestors help us!_ Hime thought nervously to himself.

A few moments passed before Akina spoke up again, trying to find a way of wording this and avoid angering her more.

"Okay." He glanced back at the town for a brief millisecond, the breaking of eye contact with her making him feel more at ease. "Well, first, we need to find out _what_ exactly he's after, and if there any way we can maybe get to it and help it or destroy it or whatever before he does."

Hime nodded, thinking hard for a moment, her mind once again burning with the same questions as before. _Okay, so he says that he has bigger fish to fry, but what exactly? Could anyone know? Maybe not now, but what about in the historical archives? Maybe there's something there!_

"I have an idea." She said after a few moments, whipping out her phone. "Well, a couple to be exact. C'mon, Akina." She added, moving back towards the ladder; Akina followed.

"Kyosuke! Are you free? Good! I need you, Kotoha and Ao to do me a favour." A pause followed as they descended slowly towards the ground. "Well, bring her along or tell her to meet me and Akina! No, I don't wanna argue or mess around, just do it please!"

* * *

"YOU! What are you doing here?!"

With a sigh, Hime clenched her fists and closed her eyes, waiting for the raving of her 'uncle' to subside so she could tell him what her business being there was. Given how hard he was going, though, he looked set to continue for a while.

The beady little old man, with stick like arms and slightly bigger but still very thin legs and dressed in a tank top that looked older than he was and a pair of shorts, continued to snap at her vehemently. His face was partially red like that of a slowly ripening tomato. The short black hair down the side and across the back of his face seemed to rise and fall almost as if it were all a wig and every so often bits of saliva would spray from his mouth. Two people nearby gave looked at the scene nervously and decided to quickly step inside the small wooden building in front of them with the sign **Amasaki Ceramics** on the front.

This was an antique workshop owned by the man and his wife, both of whom Hime knew, nestled between two office buildings on one of Sakurashin's main streets and, for the most part, was relatively quiet. That was until Hime and the gang, with her cousin, Kohime, had paid a visit and, shortly after, was the victim of an attack by some former associates of Gin who also opposed Hime as mayor. It had survived largely intact, though many of the priceless valuables and personal possessions inside were lost. This probably explained why he was in more of a bad mood with Hime than normal.

"Well, are you going to answer me?! Or are you _too worthy_ to answer someone like me?"

Another sigh and a pinch of the bridge of her nose followed as Hime looked at him in the eyes, not letting him annoy or intimidate her.

"Uncle Jiroku, can you please move. I need to speak to Auntie Kiku," she said calmly but with a voice that demanded her request be obeyed.

He either did not hear her, or refused to obey (most likely the latter) as he continued to rant on about Hime, berating her for 'poor performance' and 'a disgrace', drawing a few concerned looks from people on the street as they walked by. Akina watched all of this happen from a few feet away, looking warily at Hime just in case she decided to belt the old man in the face. But she kept her cool, merely rolling her eyes at everything he said and waiting for him to finish. He noticed her foot tapping the ground though; this one small body movement indicating that her patience looked to be running thin.

 _Let's just hope she doesn't go crazy on him_ Akina thought to himself.

Thankfully, as if to ease his fear, a shrill voice erupted from the doorway of the small wooden building behind Jiroku.

"Jiroku! Stop that at once!" Everyone looked in the direction of the building to see a woman in her early sixties standing there, a stern look on her face as she brushed part of her grey hair from in front of her eyes. "Is that any way to treat our mayor?"

" _What_ mayor?" he snapped back at her, pointing an accusing finger at Hime. "Nothing but a waste, she is!"

The old woman tutted. "Seriously, you are no better than when Kohime was here." She walked down from the doorway over to them. "Mayor, it's lovely to see you. What brings you here?"

"I need to ask you about my grandmother, Auntie Kiku," she replied, ignoring a huff from Jiroku. "And also if you still have her work on the Yokai."

"Of course we do, come in!" she said happily, waving her arm in the direction of the shop as she led Hime towards it. "You'll have to excuse the mess, though, we've just been sorting a few things out. Oh, and the air conditioning isn't working so I apologise if it's too warm."

Hime brushed it off and they walked inside, leaving Akina and Jiroku standing outside, the noise of cars and people chatting filling the air around them.

Jiroku folded his arms and exhaled heavily, shaking his head, annoyed that the mayor, _that disgrace_ , was entering their shop. Why she had become mayor, he did not know! He could at least take comfort that some of the people here in Sakurashin felt the same way as he did about her, though they were not doing much about it. Besides, he had to tolerate her presence as long as his wife was around.

"I still don't understand why you work for her," he said, looking over at Akina. "She's not worth the position she holds."

"Well, she may be difficult, but she is doing her best and has kept us safe so far." Akina argued back matter-of-factly.

This seemed to make Jiroku's blood boil. "Safe?!" he spat. "What do you mean by _that_? If she's kept us safe, then why was our shop destroyed a few days ago and there were shootings across the city recently? _That_ doesn't sound like _safe_ to me!"

"None of us knew this was coming, and anyone else in her position would have been just as powerless." Akina told him, his voice also growing a little more irritated at the ignorance of the old man in front of him. "Besides, we know who it is we're looking for now." He added.

"Then where is he?"

Akina went to reply but looked up to see two young men dressed in jeans, hoodies and trainers casually walk into the alley between the shop and the office building, the first of them holding a cigarette in his hand. One of them quickly glanced at the street around them and then followed his accomplice into the alley, taking a small packet out of his pocket. Jiroku noticed Akina's stare and followed it just to see the second of the two disappear behind the side of the building.

"Hey!" he barked angrily, forgetting about Akina and rushing over to where the two had gone. "You're not smoking near my shop! Scram!"

Akina could only shake his head and suppress a laugh. If there was one thing that he found hilarious about Jiroku, it was that he was a bit of a hypocrite, and this was the perfect example as to when this happened. Hime had recently enacted a new law to try and stem the smoking problem among the population, which had resulted in a limited number of places where one could smoke. Not everyone was happy and so they had resorted to sneaking around during the day or at night to have a cigarette out of the view of the public.

Obviously, Jiroku was not happy with two 'hoodlums' smoking near his premises, especially _when_ the mayor was around.

* * *

"Ah, here it is!"

"Thank you, Auntie!"

Kiku handed Hime a large thick, red book with a slightly broken spine and a bit of wear to the cover. They were in a back room with wooden walls, a window facing an alley between the shop and one of the office buildings and a table in the centre with Hime on one side and Kiku on the other as she sat down from browsing the bookshelf on the wall behind her. On the wall hung several works by the painter, Hiroshige, a favourite artist of Jiroku, and a little to the right of Hime on the wall behind her, was the way out into the shop. The noise of several customers marvelling or mocking several things in the shop reached their ears. Hime was a little annoyed that they would be so vocal and so demeaning with their views on some of the things here but Kiku did not mind. She allowed people to have their opinions, even if she herself did not agree with them. Her husband, on the other hand, would have them immediately thrown out of the shop were he to hear them. Maybe that was why some of them were being so talkative now in his absence.

"What exactly are you looking for, Hime?" Kiku asked her.

"Gin said he was looking a _'bigger fish to fry'_ as he put it." Hime explained, opening the book and rifling through the pages, trying to find something in her grandmother's writings that would give her some kind of clue.

Kiku nodded, brushing some sweat off her forehead. It was a warm day today and with the air conditioning broken and so many people coming in and out, it was going to get even hotter inside the shop very quickly.

"Excuse me just for a moment while I open the window." She said as she got up, though Hime was too busy pondering to reply.

Kiku walked over to the window and pulled it up, feeling relief sweep over her as the breeze from the outside flooded into the room. It felt great to have the cold touch her skin once again. Whenever it was hot, nothing could ever beat something like th-

"We're not doing anything!"

"Then why the stamped out cigarettes on the ground?!" A pause followed as Kiku looked to her left and saw Jiroku arguing with a two young men a few feet from the window. "Now get lost!"

"Oh dear, will you stop being so loud!" Kiku said as the two men decided it was best to leave and cautiously moved past the smaller, yet very angry old man, feeling intimidated by his piercing gaze.

"I'm just trying to stop us from being fined!" he snapped back at her before looking back at the two men and shouting something else at them.

Inside the room, Hime sighed and face-palmed, annoyed at the noise that was disturbing her concentration. She was never going to get anything done at this rate if they decided to have a shouting match or something. With the town in potential danger, the last thing that needed to impede her and the gang from stopping Gin was an argument between these two.

Thankfully, Kiku pulled her head back into the room and walked over, sitting across from her once again, an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry about that. He can be very aggressive sometimes towards the public." She explained.

Hime just tittered a little. "I've noticed." She replied, noticing the sound of a few footsteps reaching their eyes and the talk in the shop suddenly diminishing greatly, indicating that Jiroku had entered the shop. _Best get ready for another world war to kick off out there._

Silence fell across the room again, broken only by the noise of the pages turning and fluttering in the wind coming in through the window. Hime's concentrated gaze absorbed all the information on the pages she looked at but none of it gave her the answers she wanted. Her grandmother had certainly been the type to be mysterious when she wanted to be, and that did not stop when it came to her writings about the Yokai or the Otherworld and other such things.

"Kiku, did my grandmother ever tell you anything about the Otherworld, something maybe she didn't want me to know about?" Hime asked her.

Kiku thought for a moment, trying to recollect all of the conversations she and the mayor's deceased relative had had. These had been many years ago though so it was hard to remember which ones would probably be relevant or not, and then of course there was remembering _what_ was said rather than just _when_ they had the talks.

After a few moments with Hime looking on patiently, she suddenly exclaimed: "Oh yes, there is one I remember!" she leaned forward and opened up somewhere almost to the back of the book with about ten pages left. "And it helps that she put something here as well, a sort of record if you will."

Hime looked down at the pages Kiku had opened for her, and was surprised. Unlike the previous pages, which had been largely text with a few detailed and innate drawings scattered across the pages, these were entirely pages in an ink-style artwork of gigantic creatures. Some were bipedal in form, their thick bulky legs holding up their bodies that were covered in scales, horns and other such things that made them look grotesque and quite scary; others were on all fours, a snarl on their faces as if they were angry that someone was painting a replica of them.

 _Now_ this _I didn't expect!_ Hime thought to herself.

"What is all this, Auntie Kiku?" she asked the old woman, looking up at her with a look that demanded an explanation.

"Well, first, let me ask you: have you ever learnt about what happened here in this area many centuries ago?" she said to Hime, whose blank look quickly answered her own question. "No worries. Well, what you see before you in that book are some of the many creatures that used to come and go from the Otherworld to our dimension. The locals here feared and respected them, calling them gods and hoping to appease them and, in return, receive blessings or even simple mercy. There were many stories of these creatures having the ability to change the weather, create or destroy life, assist in providing food aplenty to villages and entire towns and such. Some, however, held much darker purposes and were literally called the incarnations of death, fear and destruction themselves."

"What were their names?"

"Baragon, Manda, Mothra and Battra to name the majority of them. Though two of the most renowned were-"

"Ah! Thank you for the drink, my friend. I'll see you soon!" came Jiroku's voice from in the shop, which was quickly followed by a: "Hey! You, boy! Just because you work for the mayor doesn't mean you can touch everything on the shelves!"

With a roll of her eyes, Hime turned back to Kiku and urged her to continue. "As I was saying, the two most renowned, and feared, were Gojira and Ghidorah, the three headed golden dragon of fire and death."

"So what does this have to do with my grandmother?" Hime asked her, the curiosity within her rising steadily.

"Well, your grandmother, as you might remember, was always fascinated by the Yokai. Not just the dragon that she beloved but other so-called gods and goddesses, namely these creatures." She indicated to the pages of the open book before them. "And it was while she was learning about them when she was around your age that, as she told me some year ago, she learned of two men called Oushuu and Enyou Hiizumi, brothers from one of the most powerful clan families in the early days."

Hime nodded a little. She had heard about these two brothers, mainly their early lives as well as the achievements of their family before they were born. What had struck her as odd, though, was that when they were just slightly older than her, they practically faded into history. What was more, Enyou disappeared from the records completely and the family name was only mentioned in mere footnotes for some time afterwards in the books she had read. Her grandmother had never really told her about them. Then again, when Hime was younger she did not think her older relative herself would have known about them.

 _Obviously, I was proven wrong._ She mentally told herself.

"One day, to the surprise of many, Ghidorah went on a purge of the land, destroying all and covering large portions of the land in fire. Many creatures died and hundreds of people fled into the surrounding countryside in the hopes of getting away from him. Then, Gojira emerged and the two battled for an entire day and night, levelling much of what had not already been destroyed by Ghidorah. By the next morning, when it was all over, most of the villages were destroyed and Ghidorah was dead, vanquished and the land was safe."

"And this 'Gojira'?" Hime inquired but Kiku merely shrugged her shoulders, a clear way of saying: _I have no idea._

"After the great battle, he disappeared and no one has seen him since, though your grandmother told me she believed he had left this world and returned to the Otherworld to rest. But he was not the only one who travelled to there after that great calamity."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in the days immediately following the battle, Enyou, who had harboured a deep hatred for the creatures, and in particular Gojira, had wanted to find him and destroy the beast himself. Oushuu had protested but they fell on deaf ears. And so, overruling his brother and the clan's decisions when they desperately needed everyone to try and rebuild the land, Enyou, with the power of the two Dragon Spears, went to the Otherworld with the purpose of killing Gojira. After that, no one saw him again either, though your grandmother did tell me that the Nana-Gou were somehow linked to this. I, personally, cannot comment on that as I have ever researched them myself." Kiku concluded.

Hime found her eyes falling down to the pages of the book once again, pondering over this outpouring of new information given to her like this. It was quite shocking, even frightening that creatures such as these once roamed the land and could create or destroy whatever, whenever they pleased. And to think that there was a possibility that some were still alive now in the modern world?! That was just too incomprehensible! What was more, her grandmother had not said anything about this to her. Maybe she it was unimportant, thinking that it would only be an obstacle to Hime in her becoming the mayor of Sakurashin. Or maybe she had tried to keep it hidden, lest such knowledge fall into the wrong hands. After all, if someone found a way to control or match one of these beings in power then there was no-

 _Wait!_ A sudden realisation hit her like a brick wall. _Maybe this is what Gin was talking about!_

The table was almost knocked over as Hime shot up from the floor, banging her knee in the process and making her gasp in pain.

"My dear, are you alright?" Kiku asked, taken by surprise at this sudden movement from the mayor.

"Ah, I'm fine!" she replied, rubbing her knee to try and get rid of the pain. "Listen, I have to go! I think I have a lead on this case. Oh, and I'm gonna need to borrow this. Thank you very much, Auntie Kiku!"

And with that she rushed out of the room, grabbing a startled Akina as he was looking over some makeshift pottery, nearly causing him to drop it, and dragging him out with her. She bade her farewell to Jiroku and they ran, or Hime did and was pulling Akina along, down the street, leaving the old couple and several customers confused.

"Did she waste your time?" Jiroku asked his wife irritably, wiping the counter clean of a few marks with a cloth, when she emerged from the back room.

"Of course not!" she replied, shaking her head at him. "I do wish you would be a little more supportive to her."

He smirked. "When my bottom freezes over and she starts proving herself, _then_ I will be more supportive!" he replied, turning his back on her and walking away to snap at a customer who let their child handle an expensive blue bowl in the window display.

* * *

Watching the mayor and her assistant go down the street, disappearing into the crowd and the traffic, was Akiro. He emerged from the alleyway, his mind racing. He had heard everything, having only learnt of this thanks to paying a visit to the shop to see Jiroku a few moments ago. It was there he had seen Akina, who he knew was the, or at least one of the mayor's assistants, and had gambled that if he was there, then _she had to be too._ And he was right.

 _I have to tell Gin!_ He told himself as he set off in the opposite direction away from the shop towards his apartment. _They'll be on our tail very soon and we_ have _to be ready._

 **Author notes: Hey fellow readers and writers. Apologies for the late update with this chapter. I was meant to have it up at the weekend, but a truckload of work and a slight wrist injury prevented me from doing so.**

 **Rest assured, this FF will not be a repeat of the C.O.M X-over, it will just take a few days more to write out each chapter given the limited spare time I have.**

 **Also, I would like to point out that I have made some changes with regards to the backstory of the manga and anime, such as with the wooden shop and the history of Hime's grandmother. Several more things will be changed in the FF too. This is just to clear up any misunderstanding and confusion.**

 **Hope you are all doing well.**


	5. The attack

**Later that day**

The evenings in Sakurashin were also something to be marvelled at with the myriad of colours comprising of orange, red, gold and purple filling the sky like an artist's painting. Far off the east, a small black spot began to creep over the land, slowly growing larger with every passing moment. The night was on its way and the stars would soon fill the sky overhead, providing of course that clouds were not going to make an appearance as well. On the world below, a few streetlights flickered to life, followed moments later by some lights inside a few of the buildings as if they were in a competition with one another. Fewer cars were on the road now, yet people were still on the move going from shop to shop; fetching food; meeting friends etc. The night life of Sakurashin was stirring; it was known for being quite eventful. Not in a bad way; rather in a more relaxing, yet cheerful way. Something that the majority of the inhabitants could enjoy.

The same, however, could not be said for the mayor and her team.

* * *

"So this dragon spear is what eventually got rid of this _Gojira_ thing?" Kotoha asked as she sipped her coffee and placed it on the table in front of the sofa she was sitting on.

"Yes, and the same with Ghidorah as well." Hime continued, sitting at one of the desks that was covered in office papers and empty sushi boxes (she had eaten a lot to try and help her get through the stress of trying to figure everything out). "But obviously, now we have to find out what Gin plan to do in trying to go after it." A pause. " _If_ Gojira is still around, that is." She added.

"So what do we do?" Kotoha asked, resting one of her jean covered legs over the knee of the other. "We still need to find him, or at least something that would lead us to him."

Silence fell over the group again as Hime looked down at the desk as if it held a reply to Kotoha's statement. As much as she hated to admit it, they had no lead on Gin other than knowing _why_ he was here. _Damn!_ It was hard, very hard! With someone like him in their midst and threatening the entire city, it was going to be a race against time to find him and stop him before he caused immense problems for the town and its people.

And then, of course, there was the problem with-

"Ack! Okay, okay, I got this!" the girls' heads turned to see Akina walk out from a small nearby kitchen, carrying a tray with two cups of herbal tea in them. He had nearly spilt them when stepping and sliding on a paper that was left on the floor. _We gotta get this place cleaned up a little._ "Alright, here we go." He said, reaching the table and putting his cup on the wooden surface. "Ao?"

They all turned to look at the cat-eared woman sitting next to Kotoha, legs crossed underneath her, hands holding each other in her lap and a blank look on her face. She had barely changed out of what she was wearing yesterday, only having put on some different trousers but kept the same navy blue hoodie. The hood was pulled up, covering her blue hair and cat ears as if she were trying to remain anonymous.

The group looked on with concerned expressions. Kotoha had decided to stay at the office with her to try and cheer her up following the revelations made last night about her brother. The result, as you can see dear readers, was far from hat she had hoped. Ao had responded with minimal words to every question or statement put forward by her friend, her voice sounding as if she were someone suffering from depression. Even when she did her usual daily broadcasts to the city, she sounded terribly down, which only dampened Kotoha's spirits further.

"Ao?" Kotoha asked, giving her a concerned look. "Ao, c'mon. We're trying to make you feel better." She told her colleague and friend.

"I'm fine." Was all she replied with.

 _Obviously not!_ Hime said, a little annoyed at Ao's empty insistence but was quickly met with a glare from said person. "How about you shut up, Hime!" Ao snapped at her angrily, startling the group and almost making Akina drop her cup of tea.

For a moment, Hime, who was normally quick to respond to such derogatory things with a comment or a shout of her own, struggled to find the words. She tried to apologise but they were lost in her mouth. She had momentarily forgotten that Ao had the ability to read minds and could sense other people's thoughts, and right now, with the way she was feeling, upsetting her even more was _not_ a wise thing to do.

"I – I'm so-sorry, Ao," Hime responded, stuttering a little. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Oh sure, especially when you made it clear that we _"Had to take Gin down,"_ " she mocked Hime's voice and shot her mayor another dark look. "You do realise you're talking about _my_ brother, right?! The one you-" she turned her wrath to Akina now. "-set to the Otherworld and now he's a maniac trying to kill us all!"

"Ao, we were-"

"No, I don't wanna hear it!" Ao cut him off, raising a hand and getting up from her seat, shoving her hands inside her hoodie's pockets. "I'm going outside. _Don't_ follow me!" she emphasised the word 'don't' to them and, ignoring Kotoha's pleas, stormed outside, slamming the door behind her.

Another moment of silence fell among the group as they tried to process what had happened. This was a first for Ao, they had _never_ seen her so angry or upset like this. It quite literally took them all by surprise. She was the most quirky and active of the group, like a child wanting to have fun and bring joy to those around her, and she was visibly upset by what had happened over the last forty eight hours. What was more, with the fact that her brother was the source of their trouble, it was going to be very hard to try and stay together in taking him down.

"Well," Akina breathed after a few moments, his voice also grim. "What do we do now? Do we have a plan before we start killing each other?"

Hime sighed and was about to speak up when the sound of voices from outside were heard. A young girl said something and Ao replied, though what it was they could not decipher. Another voice, this one masculine, spoke up and Ao snapped something at him. Silence. The door opened and Kyosuke stepped into the room, followed by a navy blue haired, teenage young girl with a grey, sleeveless hoodie, a pink top under that and a pair of shorts half-way down to her knees. One of her legs was covered in a white cast, the result of an accident some time ago, and she assisted herself into the room using a crutch.

"Is everything okay?" Kyosuke asked them as he shut the door, looking at them with an expression that wanted an answer to why Ao was sitting outside and had just snapped at them angrily.

Hime spoke up and explained everything to them as they sat down, Touka immediately wanting Akina to sit down next to her with a begging look in her eyes to which he awkwardly agreed to and let her rest her head against his arm. Kyosuke's jaw clenched a little behind his closed lips as his younger sister did this. She, like him, was an **Oni** as well and had a bit of a crush on Akina. Well, _a bit_ was an understatement. Kyosuke often frowned upon his sister's fascination with the human male but said nothing, though they all knew he was not particularly happy with it. And right now was not the time to do so when they had more pressing matters to deal with.

"So what did you find out today?" Hime asked Kyosuke, facing him completely and waiting for his reply.

"Not much," he told her, adjusting his glasses and took out a piece of folded up paper. He spread it open and laid it out on the table for them to see the notes he had taken in pencil. "We spent a few hours going through the records at the city hall and the library and even in one of the neighbouring towns. There wasn't much in the way that pointed to anything major, apart from the appearance of the Nana-Gou, but we did find something."

"What was it?" Akina asked, setting his cup on the table and asking Touka to let go of his arm, which she did with a sad sigh.

"All the records point to around the time you told us about, Hime," he explained. "Around about that time, something happened and there was a lot of devastation and destruction and even quite a number of deaths. It took years for the land to recover, particularly economically as the output of each village had to steadily rise back to some level of normality over the following decades. Apparently, a lot of people wrote about it as well but there were no more surviving scripts from that time. Since then, it just faded into obscurity."

"Obviously now, though, that's changed." Kotoha spoke up. "The question now is: what are we going to do?"

All heads once again turned to Hime, who was focusing on the notes on the table before her as if trying to find some hidden meaning in them. What _were_ they going to do? What _could_ they do? With the group already at each other's throats at the moment and a madman running around ready to cause chaos at a moment's notice, she had to do something. This town that she had spent years building and trying to improve was not going to be torn apart, family members of her friends of not.

Though, as she tried to formulate something in her mind, she did begin to wish again for her grandmother's wisdom and words to help them in their time of need.

* * *

"Thank you very much!"

The taxi driver nodded and drove off down the largely free road, leaving the young black haired man with his girlfriend on the pavement. He was quite tall, about 5'9 with short brown hair, green eyes and was wearing a smart white shirt and jeans with black shoes. His girlfriend, a young woman who was about 23, two years his junior, had black hair, brown eyes and wore a small black jacket with a blue top underneath, a black short skirt and a pair of slip on shoes. Their arms were hooked around each other and they looked at each other with a smile in their eyes.

"Thanks for bringing me out here, Hiro," she said to him.

"Ah don't mention it," he brushed it off. "I'm glad we're spending time together, Ayano."

"Me too. Let's head into the café first."

"Okay,"

They walked down the street a little, keeping close to the edge of the pavement closest to the buildings, passing various closed shops, entrances to apartments and even a few restaurants that were gradually becoming busier as time passed. A few people were walking up and down the streets now, some talking on their phones; others together and engaged in a conversation or were simply out for a stroll.

Hiro and Ayano had been together for about a year now, having met because they lived a few streets from the other. Their personalities were very similar as they both liked the same things and, to an extent, disliked the same things too. One thing that really attracted their attention to one another, however, was that he was part-human and part-Yokai, as was evidenced by the tattoo of a wolf on his upper arm, and she was a human. According to what his family had told him when he was younger, they had become what they were when a clan in the distant past wished to protect its village home from raiding bandits. One of them had used a spell and the power of the spirits and was transformed into a werewolf, who had then permanently rid the area of the marauders. However, one con of this act was that the change was irreversible, which meant that all descendants from this family member would now be a mixture of human/Yokai.

This had had its ups and downs as time went on, particularly as Sakurashin began to take shape and it became a home for both species. Hiro had dealt with a little bullying in school, often being called a 'furball', or 'mutt', or simply a 'freak' because of the differences between him and his classmates who were mostly human. For a time, he had developed a strong dislike for them, which lasted well into his adult years. He had even considered joining a group of Yokai who were set on segregating the two species indefinitely around the city, something that was clearly inspired by the separation of the blacks from the rest of the population in the 1950s across America.

That had all been until he met Ayano, during a parade last year to celebrate a traditional spirit event the Yokai had celebrated for countless centuries before, and it had blossomed from there. What was more, she had been able to help Hiro rid himself of his dislike for humans, helping him see that not all of them were hateful or spiteful towards their spiritual neighbours. Their parents had been shocked and a little resentful towards them for having this relationship, but they had soon come to accept it, at least begrudgingly if not with open hearts. It made them both happy, and really that was all the two young people wanted.

As they walked towards a large restaurant, a neon sign saying **'Yama's sushi café'** hanging above the double doors and small artificial hedges placed either side of them, they could see that it was quite quiet for a night like this. Most of the tables were empty, and those that were occupied held only a few people. There was only one family and they were seated towards the back next to the cream coloured walls in one of the booths that lined the left side of the shop. Behind the counter opposite them, a single worker stood manning the till whilst a few waiters and waitresses walked about inside the shop, taking orders and giving people their food.

"I haven't been here before," Ayano commented, looking up curiously at the café.

"It's quite nice, I came here with one of my cousins a few weeks ago." Hiro told her. "It's nice and the service is good. _And_ it's relaxing." He added.

She smiled at him and he moved his arm around to her side and pulled her close to him. "Let's go inside. I'm starving." He said, which, as if to accentuate his mood, was highlighted by a slight growl from his stomach.

He held the door open for her (with a courtesy of "after you,") and they went inside, passing a middle aged man with grey hair and dressed in a large brown coat, an old pair of jeans and black shoes. He was sitting at a table next to the door, bent low over a bowl of soup. He gave them a momentary glance and then went back to his meal. Another couple of people, a young man and his mother, who were sitting at a table whilst waiting for their meal, shot them a quick glance before resuming their conversation.

The employee managing the till looked up and acknowledged them with a nod and a smile. "Hello there," he said. "What can we do for you?"

"A table for two," Hiro responded whilst Ayano looked for a table for them to sit at, eyeing one especially near the window on the door's right.

The till employee waved an arm through the air as if displaying the restaurant to them. "Pick anywhere you look and we'll be with you shortly."

"Thanks," Hiro said as Ayano began pulling him in the direction of the table she liked.

The two sat down and began to talk about the usual things one would expect to hear on a date; how things were, family, plans for the week, work etc. A waiter came up to them and handed them menus and asked whether they wanted drinks. Hiro asked for sake whilst Ayano took to a diet coke. Afterwards, they soon set on just staring at each other eyes, lost in the other's beauty and love they had towards one another. When the waiter returned with their drinks, he had to spend a few moments getting their attention, during which he glanced at his watch, before they snapped out of their stupor.

"Oh, sorry!" Ayano laughed as she took her drink. "Oh, no thank you. We'll order something in a minute." She told the waiter and he promptly left them alone.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, a black car came to a halt just outside the other window of the café, its windows stained nearly charcoal black so it was difficult for anyone walking past to look into the vehicle. Luckily, there were few people on the pavement at the moment, and those that were present were too focused on either talking on their phones or smoking or their own thoughts to notice the car.

For a moment, the car stood where it was, silent, unmoving, engine now turning to a hum as if it were a predator observing its next victim. Its lights dimmed to the point where they were at a twilight level. Something was not right. Nobody had gotten out of the car. Was its occupant(s) waiting for someone? If so, what? Anyone looking on at this would find it strange, _very_ strange indeed.

The car continued to sit in its place, the engine humming like the snoring of a hunter, the air thick with tension for the moment it would awaken.

* * *

"I love you," Ayano whispered lovingly to Hiro.

He smiled. "I love you too," he replied, his voice also a whisper as he took a sip of his sake, and reacted immediately. "Oooh, that's strong stuff!" he commented.

Ayano giggled. "Well, it is made stronger here than in most other parts of Japan." She told him, bringing her glass of coke up to her lips. She paused; her eyes turning to look out the window, a confused look on her face.

"You alright, babe?" Hiro asked her when he noticed this.

She nodded her head in the direction of what caught her attention and he looked out in that direction. A black car with its lights practically dim? Okay, that was nothing very ordinary but it certainly was not very strange either. Yet, as he observed the vehicle, Hiro could not help but have a strange feeling in his gut over the very appearance of this thing. Was anybody going to get out of it, or at least interact with the driver? Why was it just parked there?

Then, as if a switch was flicked, the headlights turned on full power, forcing him and Ayano to move away from the window as the light blinded them.

The next few seconds were a cacophony of noise and some unworldly power seemed to activate around them. The window seemed to explode, showering them with glass as they fell to the floor. The wooden tables around the café splintered. Screams filled the air. A chair was thrown through the air and landed with a crash in the corner. Someone shouted, and immediately afterwards a cry of pain followed it.

Hiro gasped as he brushed some glass off him, terrified about Ayano, and he became even more so when he heard her cry out to him. "Stay under the table!" he shouted at her, grabbing her and throwing her under there, shielding her with his body as another part of the window fell out onto the pavement.

He glanced over his shoulder and was shocked by what he saw.

Standing near the counter, a 9mm pistol in hand, was the waiter that had given them their drinks a moment ago. His eyes were so wide they looked like they would bulge out of their sockets, teeth were clenched to breaking point and a snarl was etched onto his face. His finger rapidly fired the weapon as he seemed to turn indiscriminately, sending bullets in all directions. The old man, who had taken cover under his table, attempted to run for the door and was met with a bullet that between his shoulder blades and he fell to the floor, a screaming, bloody mess. At the back of the café, the mother and father were shielding their two children as another bullet flew over their heads, just missing the woman's shoulder, and embedded itself in the wall. The waiter shouted something but with the shouting, crying and the sound of crashing all around them, Hiro could barely make it out other than something derogatory. All he could do was hug Ayano as close as possible and pray that noting hit them, or it at least _him_ and _not_ her.

Then, as quick as it came, the gunfire stopped. One second passed, then two. Running filled the air, followed by a _thud_ and the sound of broken glass cracking under shoes. A car door opened and slammed shut and the sound of screeching tyres filled the air and quickly faded away as the car drove down the street. Silence, save for the sound of groaning and the occasional cry from the wounded old man and sobbing from the children in the corner as the parents comforted them.

Gingerly, Hiro sat up and scanned the café, taking in the devastation that greeted him. Most of the tables had bullet holes in them, the walls were riddled with bullet holes, all of the glass windows were smashed, along with some glasses, empty or full that once held drink, the contents of those that were in use dripping onto the floor. A few figures shakily stood up from behind the counter and an overturned table on the other side of the restaurant.

"H-Hiro?!" Ayano's voice came out as barely a whimper.

"SShhhh!" he hushed her, pulling her close to him as they slowly got up to survey the damage around them as one of the employees rushed over to the old man with a first aid kit and began to work on him whilst another was on the phone to the emergency services. Apart from them, no one else in the café said a word.

Outside, a small crowd was beginning to gather to assess the situation and offer any assistance if they could. As Hiro took a look out the window, some of the people there were, unsurprisingly, taking pictures on their phones, something which he rolled his eyes at. _Such a stupid thing to do_.

More gunshots and a chorus of screams from further down the road drew everyone's attention; some gasping, others breaking out in incoherent conversations. Hiro and Ayano shared a worried expression as they left the café, pausing to look down the road to see the black car veer right and disappear from sight about one hundred feet away, leaving a few people to struggle to their feet outside a corner shop in its wake.

 _This is gonna be a horrible evening_ Hiro mentally said to himself.

* * *

Within a few minutes, news of the attack had reached the mayor's office and there was an instant rush of activity. It had been an inconvenient time as they were about to call it a night, with Touka and Hime about ready to fall asleep when they were suddenly alerted by a call from Juri at the hospital.

"Where is my spear?!" Hime was angrily shouting as she threw a pile of papers off the desk in desperation to find it whilst Kotoha quickly put the dishes away, knowing that they would be too tired to do anything about them later tonight.

"Here, Hime!" Akina said, grabbing it from the sofa where she had put it after they came in earlier. He went to throw it to her but Touka wrapped herself around his waist.

"No, Akina, don't go! You'll get hurt!" she cried, fear in her eyes.

"Ah, Touka! L-let me go!" Akina struggled, nearly falling over whilst a nearby Kyosuke rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

"C'mon, stop fooling around!" Hime snapped, marching over and snatching it from his grasp and quickly scanned the room. "Where's Ao?" she demanded.

"She's still outside," Kyosuke informed her, shooting a nervous glance at the entrance. "Shou-"

"Well tell her to get a move on!" Hime snapped at them vehemently and turned to Kotoha and Akina. "C'mon, you two. We need to get a move on! Touka, you stay here!"

"But what if you guys get hurt?" she protested, her eyes looking back at Akina to emphasise her point.

"No, she's right!" Kyosuke spoke up, pulling his sister off of Akina and sitting her down on the sofa. "You stay here. We'll be back soon,"

She pouted and folded her arms, unhappy that she could not get to go with them and help protect the city as well as hang out with Akina. It was so unfair. Just because her leg was healing did not mean she was useless, she could help! Look at the other day when she saved those two girls from being hit by a car.

 _Stupid rules and stupid leg!_ She thought to herself.

Hime rushed outside and turned to Ao, who was leaning against the side of the building, the hood still pulled over her head and, from the angle, looking down at the ground.

"Ao, c'mon! We need to go!" she ordered as Akina, Kyosuke and Kotoha rushed out after her.

The hooded girl looked up at them with a blank expression, though her eyes clearly held a sentence akin to: _I really don't want to do this!_ It was not fair on her _or_ her brother. She did not want to have to fight him, he was her brother after all! Oh, why did this have to happen? Why?

"Ao, c'mon!" Hime urged her forcefully.

With a heavy sigh, she pulled down her head, exposing her cap-less blue hair and cat ears, and followed the others as they headed out into the streets, ready to take on this new menace.

* * *

Nestled away in a grove of trees on the edge of Sakurashin was a small temple complex, each building made in the design of ancient Japanese architecture. The location was perfect for Hime, who lived and often practiced her sword and fighting skills at the temple, as it had been for her grandmother, and her ancestors before her. With the trees, some of which were cherry blossom, and the mountain in the distance behind the complex and that it was about ten minutes to the city centre by car, it was nearly completely quiet here all of the time. Just the sort of environment one would need to get away from everything when things got too much.

Right now though, under the now largely star filled night sky, a single lone person moved back and forth between the buildings that were arranged in a U-shape, the courtyard in the centre being quite small and close to the main gate. He was a middle aged man, with a balding head, a pair of small glasses and was dressed in a black top and grey work trousers. In his hands were a cloth and a bucket of water which he had just used to clean a room in the building to the right of the gate. _Only one more to do._

His name was Rio, a caretaker of the temple area assigned by Hime personally because of the man's friendship with her grandmother before she passed. Even though he had only known Hime for a few years, as they had met when he moved to the city looking for work after his previous job fell through in Tokyo, he had come to admire and respect the young woman for who she was. She had promised to be the best she could be and had done a lot for the town. Albeit, a few mistakes and such were made along the way but such things were expected.

 _She has done a better job than_ I _could ever do._ He commented to himself once, meaning every single word of it.

As he knelt down next to the wall inside the main room of the building opposite the gate, he took a moment to glance around at the mats that made up the floor, the sliding door that led into a changing room to his left and the insignia of the Yarizakura family handing on the wall near the right side of the room. The simple design was nothing new in terms of architecture, yet it always made him feel a little more at peace on a personal level. _Maybe it's her grandmother's spirit._

What really drew his attention, however, was the glad case mounted on the wall directly ahead of him. Inside it was a large spear with a jade green, crystal formed into the tip of said weapon. Across the side of it were several ancient characters and a small carving of the family insignia. This was what he knew only as the 'Dragon Spear', something that was very precious to Hime and her family, and was what she had been working to achieve her entire life. Below it were three phrases written in perfect Kanji calligraphy.

 _"Be loved by the people,"_

 _"Be loved by the town,"_

 _"Be loved by the Dragon,"_

Those words he had read many times before when he had come here to maintain the place in Hime's absence. He had heard them too; one morning when he had come to fix a hole in the roof, he had watched Hime's grandmother teach her how to be patient and to let the power of the dragon flow through her. With it, she would be powerful, and yet at peace and calm as well. Rio smiled to himself as he started to wipe the cloth against the wall.

 _She was always a wise woman_ he thought to himself, pausing to clear his throat. _I know that Hime misses her, and I do as well._

SNAP! He jerked his head in the direction of the entrance a few feet from him, the noise having been like a loud clap of the hands right next to his ear. What was that?

"Hello?" he called, expecting a reply but none came.

What should he do? Should he go and see who was out there, _if_ anyone was? _Obviously!_ He was the caretaker of this place after all; he could not just let someone waltz around here as if they owned the place. Plus, what would Hime say? He did not want to upset her and disrespect his duty or job in looking after this place as he had done for so many years now.

Yet, somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he felt he was in danger like a wildebeest picking up the scent of a lion on the plains of Africa. He pondered over what to do. Should he just run? It was the most logical thing to do as he was not equipped with anything to defend himself with, except a bucket and a cloth! _As if_ they _would scare away an intruder._ Confront them? Again, he had nothing to use and if there was more than one person here, then he was a goner, especially if they were armed. But he felt a sense of responsibility within him. This was his mayor's temple after all, and he _was_ going to look after it; hooligans, vandals or not, he was going to stand his ground.

He got up and walked over to the door and looked out into the courtyard, the light of the evening just being enough for him to see everything. Nothing.

He glanced left … _nothing there._ He looked to his right. _Nothing there either._ Maybe he was just imagining it all.

Something fell from above and struck him on the back of the head. With a quick groan and a thud, he fell to the floor, out cold, dropping the cloth on the floor beside him, a trickle of blood running from the point of impact and staining the inside of his top.

A figure jumped down to the floor beside Rio and gave him a sad look. It was Akiro. With a heavy sigh, he grabbed the person by the legs and pulled him into the room, gently setting him on the floor by the bucket. He did not want to do that. He was hoping that nobody would be here and that it would be a simple case of grabbing the spear and leaving before anyone saw him. That had, obviously, not been the case but it was too late to worry about that now. What was done was done, and he had a mission to get on with.

 _Please, don't let me regret this_ he mentally said to no-one in particular as he headed over to the spear.

* * *

"Okay, now!"

With a rush from the corner of the street, Kyosuke lunged out and fired an energy blast from his hand, his red horns glaring menacingly in the dim light from the street lights up and down the road. The car skidded sideways as it swerved to avoid the blast and only just missed it by a few centimetres. Yet, as if desperate to prove its worth, it careered on, turning left down another street. Kyosuke smiled. They were heading right into the trap.

Further down said street, Hime and Kotoha stood at the ready behind two trees placed opposite each other. The former gave the latter a nod and poked her head out to see the vehicle speeding towards them.

"On my mark!" Hime called, holding up three fingers to emphasise the countdown. "Three-" (she put down one finger) "… Two …" (the second) "… NOW!"

"Brick wall!" Kotoha exclaimed, her hand pointing out to the street.

On command, a thick brick wall shot up out of the ground like a plant and stood firmly rooted to the spot, waiting for the inevitable crash. The driver(s) must have been too surprised to do anything because it carried on for a moment at its high speed. Then, having probably snapped out of their trance, the tires screeched loudly.

CRASH! Metal bent, glass shattered, lights were vaporised and the sound of the shockwave travelled right through the two as they dove for cover behind the trees to avoid any flying projectiles launched from the wreckage. One of the tires rolled away past them as if trying to continuing escaping before falling flat on its side a few metres down the road. The huge lump of now shattered metal slumped to the ground with a _thud_. Two of the doors and bits of metal broken loose from the crash littered the ground.

Hime looked out from behind her tree and exhaled a sigh of relief. They had done it! They had been chasing the car for about ten minutes after pursuing it from the place where the attack had occurred. A few other traps had been laid but the car either took a different route or out-right evaded them. Luckily, Kotoha had suggested leading them down this way not only because of the trees but because, if they had carried on, they would have run into a dead end. Either way, with or without this brick wall trick, they would have gotten them.

And now, as the two cautiously approached the wreckage, fearful that someone was going to start shooting at them at any moment, they were ready to find out who was responsible exactly. And, more importantly, _why_ this happened. It had to be because of Gin, it just had to be! If this was his plan, then he had really stooped to a new level! It made Hime's heart burn with anger and fuelled her determination to find him and stop him, regardless of whatever Ao thought.

A crowd had begun to gather on the streets around them; some people were even looking out of their windows from their apartments above the various shops, cafes and restaurants around them on the ground.

Suddenly, somebody groaned and a body fell from inside the car onto the ground. Kotoha paused for a brief second, as if unsure what to do. Somebody gasped nearby and murmuring broke out throughout the crowd.

"Alright, everyone stay back!" Hime ordered, relief filling her face as Akina, Ao and Kyosuke joined them, having set up various traps at other locations across the city as well as making sure those affected by the attackers were okay. She ordered them to help maintain crowd control whilst she rushed over to the side other side of the car and wrenched the badly bent door open. "Alright, come out!" She grunted, grabbing hold of the driver and pulled them out.

He was a roughly thirty year old looking man with messy black hair, which she was sure was not because of the crash, a torn coat, an old pair of jeans and a pair of shoes that looked so torn and worn she thought he must have grabbed them from a bin or a dump. She could smell him, something which was unpleasant, and she coughed briefly before pushing him against the car. Kotoha grabbed the other man, the waiter who had a huge gash across his forehead and was struggling to stand. Luckily, two men ran over to help her.

"What were you doing?!" Hime snarled at the driver, her red eyes glowing like a fire as she stared at the man. "Did Gin send you?"

He just let out a series of weak giggles and coughs, a trickle of blood running from a cut in his cheek. "Can you think of anyone else?!" he said, laughing more.

 _That's answered_ that _question!_ Hime mentally said to herself and pushed him against the car more, determination pushing her on to find out more.

"Why?! Why did you attack a public place? Do you know what you've done?!" She barked at him. "Where is he? Where is Gin?"

He laughed again, coughing a little more as he weakly said: "You'll see, 'Mayor'," he added a mocking word on her title before he passed out into unconsciousness.


	6. The awakening

**The next day  
**

" _The exact intentions of those behind the attack last night are still unclear as neither the police, nor the mayor have commented on the matter. Some have speculated, however, that this was a terrorist act carried out by a sympathiser of the group Daesh, commonly referred to as ISIS. National security officials have scheduled a meeting in Tokyo for later today to talk address the issue. In-"_

With a sigh and a supressed yawn, Hime turned off the radio on her phone and surveyed the room of the main temple, taking in the broken cabinet, the shattered glass that lay across the floor and the small dry stains of blood that dotted a small area around the door. Just looking at the latter made her feel sick to her stomach, not because of the sight of blood but because someone had gotten hurt when _here_ was supposed to be a safe place.

 _And now it's just another crime scene_ she told herself as she seemed to remind her slightly bloodshot eyes that there were several police officers as well as Kyosuke and Akina here with her; both of whom were watching her cautiously in case she suddenly fell over asleep. She was always a little unpredictable when she felt this way.

It had been a rough night for all of them given the aforementioned attacks, dear readers. And yes, you read the word _attacks_ correctly. The two culprits that had been caught had attacked several other locations that were crowded with people as they drove through Sakurashin; among them a corner chop, a small park and a lone man walking home after visiting a friend. Two people had died and about twenty others were injured. Right now, they were in police custody and had been questioned throughout the night by the police as well as Hime herself, the others in her group having also arrived to prevent her from going ballistic if they infuriated her. Thankfully, she did not. At least, not at first

The interrogation had lasted the better part of the night but it had been during this procedure when the two had revealed that they had merely been a distraction. The real attack had been on the temple that contained the dragon spear. Upon hearing this, Hime had flown into a rage and, were it not for Kotoha, Ao, Kyosuke and Akina grabbing her and holding her back, she would have throttled them. After calming her down, they quickly rushed back to the temple and were shocked to see Rio lying on the ground, knocked out and the cabinet smashed open. Thankfully, he was not badly hurt and was currently at the hospital being treated for mild trauma.

Hime let out another sigh as her eyes swept the room again, feeling guilty that this man who she treated as part of her family had been attacked and she had been far away and had fallen for an obvious trick. Wonderful! If her grandmother could see her now, she would no doubt curse her for allowing herself to be fooled so easily. _What kind of stupid person would make a mistake like this?! Shows what kind of mayor you are, idiot!_

No. She shook these thoughts as best she could from her head. Anyone else in her position would have fallen for something like this, they could never be in two places at once. Plus, she had to be happy that Rio was alive. Hurt, but alive. And they had manged to save potentially tens of people who could have lost their lives. They had really been successful.

" _It's just guilt,"_ Akina had told her when she had admitted to feeling this way a few hours earlier after arriving at the temple.

It had soothed her anger and annoyance at herself, but did not remove it completely. That would only come around when they found Gin, along with _whoever_ was helping him as even _he_ could not carry out an operation like this alone without some help, and brought him to justice.

Though, a part of her kept wondering about _how long_ that would be. Hopefully, it would be very soon when they finally caught him.

Akina strolled up beside her. "They found no traces of whoever did this. No footprints or anything. It just seemed whoever it was leapt from one place to the next. There was some water scattered around though."

"Then that _has_ to be a trace." Hime told him, kneeling down and picking up a piece of glass, rubbing it between her fingers. "Taking the spear is something very dangerous. If Gin has control of it, _who_ knows what he could do with something like that."

Silence fell between them, pierced only by the sounds of the few policemen outside strolling around keeping watch or searching for any clues. Hime's mind began to turn like the cogs of a clock. There had to be some reason for Gin to do this. Obviously, whatever it was would be diabolical but not knowing was a horrible feeling. If he planned to use it against them, then they had to be careful _and_ quick.

 _But what about all his rhetoric of trying to fight a 'bigger fish'?_ she reminded herself. _If there_ was _a huge battle here between the Yokai that long ago, which as probably likely given what the others told me, then surely he wou-_

Her brain stopped as she processed these thoughts. There was no doubt that Gin had harboured a hatred for these creatures. And Auntie Kiku, as well as her grandmother, had revealed to her that he had his own dragon spear at hand. Maybe with two of them he-

"Do you think it could be because of those creatures?" Akina asked her, ironically thinking the same things as her.

She rounded on him, a serious look in her eyes. "I think yes," she answered, looking down at the piece of glass between her fingers. "And I think I know what he plans to do with them."

* * *

"Are you sure we should be doing this, Gin?"

"Akiro, sometimes you need to take a deep breath and have a few risks here and there. Relax."

Standing on top of the apartment building Akiro lived in, Gin held two objects in his hand. Both were spears. One held a jade green tip, the very one that was stolen from Hime's temple last night. The other was about the same length and made out of the same bamboo material but was a little lighter in colour with red Kanji script that also meant 'Dragon Spear'. The tip of this one, however, was a black colour. Gin had used it before when in the Otherworld and now he planned to use it here too, though with its power magnified by that of the newest weapon in his collection.

Akiro, who stood nearby, could only look on with a sense of guilt and apprehension. _Should I have done this? Should I have given this mad-man a weapon?_

He kept telling himself no, but … but Gin just intimidated him into doing something like this. Plus, he had promised him that there would be no trouble with regards as to how Hime would be removed. _And yet I'm starting to think that's all a load of BS._ Plus, he had never been told to hurt anyone, yet the innocent man who happened to be at the temple last night was injured because of his actions. Oh, this was so wrong and unfair!

 _"But it was all for a greater future!"_ Gin had told him earlier.

" _I'm starting to really doubt_ that _,"_ Akiro had thought in reply.

Now, looking out over the skyline of Sakurashin with Gin, he watched as said person placed the tips of the spears over the other (his one getting precedence over Hime's) and held them up to the sunlight that streamed down to the world. It was as if he were some kind of worshipper, presenting a trinket of some kind to worship an unseen deity or force. The sunlight gleamed off them as if it were accepting his offer and shone brightly for a moment, forcing Akiro to look away with his arm shielding his eyes. Then, when he looked around as the light faded, he saw Gin standing with both spears now pointing down towards the roof floor.

"And now," he spoke up, looking at Akiro with a satisfied smile as if he were a construction managersurveying something he had recently built. "We wait."

For Akiro, that wait for going to be a long one.

* * *

Consciousness … movement … awakening.

Far out on the ocean floor, it moved. For untold centuries it had slept, remaining hidden from the world like a lost civilisation. It had never thought it would be awoken again. Until now.

Moving the head up, it paused and a stream of bubbles floated up towards the surface, its black skin practically camouflaged against the darkness of the ocean world that surrounded it. It could sense something. Something powerful.

And it was calling to it.

With a snarl, the creature began to move up towards the surface, its long, slithery body turning and twisting as it went. All other sea animals in its immediate vicinity quickly fled for fear of being caught by it.

Gin had awakened something, and soon the world would know about it. It was only a matter of time.


	7. Clash in Tokyo

**Hey fellow readers and writers. Apologies for the long space between updates. I had a lot of work to do. Plus, I had severe writers block because I really struggled as to how to plot out this chapter.**

 **Thankfully, that is done and now we can continue.**

 **Later that night**

If there was one thing that Hime hated more than failing, it was uncertainty. It constantly made her feel on edge, and this would make her grumpy, angry and (what she hated most of all) afraid. Right now, as she stood on the roof of a building near the office building, looking out over the many bright lights of the city as it announced the arrival of the night, she felt very nervous. Her fingers drummed against her folded arm and he foot twitched in an almost impatient manner against the top of the roof.

 _I doubt the people inside will hear me_ she thought to herself, thinking for a moment that she could take her mind off this by hitting the tiles hard and then hiding from view so as to have them come out and wonder what was going on. _Mischievous little tyke, I can be._

But no, that would be unprofessional of her. And her grandmother, spirits rest her soul, would lecture and demean her for such behaviour. No, remember she had to be the epitome of grace, wisdom and intellect. _Be the perfect mayor my grandmother taught me to be_. If she could not do that, then she did not deserve to be mayor.

That was partly how she felt now as she coughed a little, pausing a moment to wipe some imaginary dust from her sleeves. Ever since the attacks last night, she had been worried about a second wave occurring. The police as well as everyone in her team and several of their friends had been on high alert, but nothing had happened. The streets of Sakurashin were quiet and the people seemed to have returned to normal.

 _So far so good. But that did not mean_ everyone _was safe again._

They still had to find Gin, quickly before he hurt anyone else. Of course, the problem they still had was trying to find out _where_ he was. So far, nobody had reported him and they had found nothing either. Things would have been easier had Ao …

Hime's thought stopped there and lingered. Ao. Her telepathic friend was still worried about her brother, the one who was causing all of the recent chaos, over that of the entire town! How could she? How could she try and reason and love a convicted killer and troublemaker?! It made absolutely no sense whatsoever! She was holding back the team, the very survival of everything that they had worked so hard to build! All because of her stupid, unreasonable, insolent-

 _Hold it right there, girl!_ She paused and took a deep breath. _No, can't think this way. It's not right and it isn't fair on her. I can't force her to do this, even_ if _it's for the town. I wouldn't be the true mayor otherwise._

Something she had taught herself. _Always respect those closest to you, for they will the ones to fight and die for you should the time ever come._

She hoped _that_ time would never come, though it looked increasingly remote given their current situation with Gin and his followers. Who knew what they were plotting? Who knew what they were going to do next?

Or had they already carried out something and were just waiting for the right time?

A sudden loud chorus made Hime jump, almost causing her to lose her balance on the roof. It was emanating from her pocket and she reached in and grabbed her phone and saw it was _Kotoha_. Had they found something? Or were they going out to eat? She could sure use something to calm her nerves right now.

She flipped the phone open and held it up to her ear. "Kotoha, what is it?" Hime asked her friend, kneeling down on one knee on the roof so as not to lose concentration and risk a fall.

 _"Hime, we have to get to Tokyo, now!"_ came her friend's voice, putting Hime on edge immediately.

 _Kotoha never calls me with a sense of urgency and fear, unless something is happening!_ "What is it?" she asked in a demanding manner, jumping down effortlessly from the roof, startling a young man as he walking down the pavement towards his house.

 _"I think I know what Gin has planned."_

* * *

 **Just outside Tokyo harbour**

"Agh! The smell is gonna make me throw up!"

"Hey, Toshio, it could be worse,"

"Yeah right!" The tall black haired man humphed in a manner that emphasised his words as he wiped a gloved hand over his forehead, then immediately regretted it as a full whiff of the stench of fish hit him the face. Luckily he wasn't wearing a long sleeved top or was going to see anyone. Otherwise he would probably end up smelling them away and be forced to bathe for the rest of the night.

 _Well, at least it helps pay the bills give the working environment nowadays_ He told himself as he lugged another crate of fish onto a cart to be taken off-ship.

In the room around him about ten other people were at work cutting fish or loading it into boxes. They had had a good day at sea, catching a variety of the animals that lived around their island nation. It was not the most practical job to many, and it certainly was not very attractive either for the aforementioned reasons but it was either this or it could have been unemployment or stuck somewhere else. Toshio had always told himself this, adding that at least he got to see the sea and that he did not suffer sea sickness.

"Hey Toshio!" someone called from nearby and he turned to see another man, slightly short and overweight with a bald head and a bloody apron from all the meat cutting, looking at him. "C'mon, we're almost at the shore."

"Coming!" Toshio replied, tossing one more crate onto the cart and, taking off his gloves, moved off in the direction of the rest of the crew as they began to leave the sorting room.

* * *

 **On the bridge**

Docking into the harbour of Tokyo was not exactly the easiest thing in the world given the busy port that it was. Right now, dear readers, Captain Nao was trying his hardest to manoeuvre the huge fishing vessel without being a possible danger to any other ships entering or leaving the area. A lot of smaller craft were always coming and going.

 _And that's not even the half of it_ he thought to himself, slightly concerned even though he had done this sort of thing many times before. _There's all the physics and stuff involved. Way over my head but I know it's there._

Another half an hour or so and he would be done and then he could go home. He hadn't seen his wife and child for a few days since they had left for this voyage. They would be showering him with hugs and kisses and what not later, though preferably _after_ a shower. There was no doubt that the six crew members with him on the bridge felt the same way.

As he looked out through the window over the surrounding skyline that made up the docks of the city, the person manning the sonar nearby looked down at the screen, his eyes holding a bored look. The rhythmic beeping filled the air around him in unison with a slight luminous glow emanating from the controls. _Nothing for the last few days, as if there_ was _anything to look for._

 _Beep!_ "What the?"

Something momentarily lit up on the screen as the sonar completed another cycle before disappearing. It was like a ghost sighting, that brief glimpse of the unknown and mysterious before the return to normality. The sonar crew member scratched his head in confusion. What had he just seen? Or did he see anything at all? And if he did, what was it?

 _Beep!_ There it was again! This time, his eyes fell on a large shape on the sonar screen that, as before, disappeared after a second of revealing its presence. _Now I know I saw something, but still … What is it?_

A third beep rang out from the screen, but he was ready for it. The shape this time was huge, long and wiry. How long he did not know but it was enough for his breath to be caught in his throat for a moment. How could something like this move so close to Japan and _not_ be spotted! What was going on? What was it? Why was it coming towards them?

 _Wait!_ He looked back at the sonar screen to see it light up once more, the shape now much closer towards the centre, which was …

"Captain!" He exclaimed in fear. "Something is approaching fast!"

"What?" Nao replied, looking over his shoulder. "Well, where it is coming from? What is it?"

"Unknown, but it's big and-"

 _ **CRASH!**_

* * *

In the blink of an eye, the ship rocked violently, the sound of breaking metal filling the air like a bomb. The crew members on the top of the ship held on for dear life, some being unlucky to be thrown overboard. Their screams were like those of the damned, and it was not over yet.

With a metallic creak as loud as a collapsing structure, the bow and stern ends of the ship rose into the air as the central section caved in. Those who were in the water, as well as a crowd of workers along the shore, watched in horror as both ends came to a halt for a millisecond and then fell with a thunderous splash into the bay, breaking into two. The bow end rolled over and was quickly consumed by the waves. The stern, meanwhile, floated for a moment as if in shock and was assessing what had just happened. Then, it too began to sink from view.

Just keeping himself afloat on the surface near what had been his place of work, Toshio was practically still and did not utter a word. It was as if he had turned into a statue, completely overwhelmed with the sudden destruction of what he had been doing in the blink of an eye. In one fell swoop, an entire ship and the majority of its crew were gone.

A loud splash startled him and he looked to see the tip of a huge tail descend into the bay, moving fast away from the site towards land.

Directly towards Tokyo.

* * *

In his eyes, it was all perfect. Watching from the vantage point of an apartment building a few hundred feet behind the docks, he saw the huge ship crumble and disappear into the bay. Several other ships began flocking to its aid in the hopes that there were some survivors scattered around. For a moment, Gin did ponder over the people killed in the attack on the ship. They probably had families and friends and people who would be devastated when they learned of their demise tonight. _But acceptable losses were acceptable losses._ Sun Tzu had told the world before that trying to save everyone was an impossible task in itself. _If only the world had learnt that by now._

He pushed these thoughts aside and set about scanning the water for any sign of the cause of this disaster. It was still relatively early and the many lights around the shipyards provided enough illumination for him to see a part of the bay. Nothing but the blackness of the water greeted him, yet he continued to search.

 _He has to be here! He has to be!_

If Akiro were here, it would be much better as four eyes were better than two. But he had left him in Sakurashin, largely so as to keep him out of his, as well as harm's, way. Plus, it would give him a rest from any constant doubts the water-manipulating Yokai would be throwing at him about this mission of theirs. _He's nothing but a compulsive worrier_. Gin would have to deal with him soon; try and get him to see that _his_ way of dealing with things was right, and that by removing Godzilla the world would be safer.

 _They'll all see that I was right when this is done. A lot of people will perish, but countless more will be saved._

A loud moaning sound akin to a gigantic moaning iron bar being bent filled the air. Gin looked in the direction of the noise. _The bay!_ A small smile crept onto his lips, his heart now increasing in its beating rate. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. Another loud moan echoed through the air and a huge object surfaced partially, sending huge waves crashing into the docks and forcing a few workers nearby to flee inland, only just missing a few of them by a few metres.

 _He's here. Now it will begin._

As if on that note, a loud roar pierced the night sky, drowning out everything for a moment as if the world was taken completely by surprise (which it was when considering those in the immediate vicinity of the docks). A second passed. Nothing moved. Everything had turned quiet.

A loud splash erupted as something huge rose up out of the water, its body long and black and shimmering in the light of the nearby buildings. Another roar sounded as if began to move into the docks, pushing aside anything that got in its way, be it buildings, vehicles and the occasional person who failed to move out of the way in time.

Gin found himself smiling again, not one of evil or sadism but of relief.

 _Hime, Ao, Kotoha, Akina and all the rest: say hello to Manda._

* * *

"Is everyone here?"

Akina thought that Hime's demanding voice could be heard streets away. A few people who were standing nearby, having been startled by the sudden noise coming from the docks a few hundred metres away, gave her anxious looks. But she paid them no heed. Right now, they had to focus on getting everything ready, and shouting instructions into her phone seemed to be the best way of getting things done at the current moment in time.

"Kotoha, make sure that there are no people in this when you use your power." She ordered, steadying herself on the top of the bus stop she was on, drawing a few curious glances from people nearby. "And have Kyosuke ready too. He might need to go full out for this one."

 _"Roger that. We'll-wait!"_ A pause hung in the air and all she could hear were faint booms from the other end, though they quickly reached her own ears. _"Uh oh. Hime, I think it's here!"_

Hime shut her phone and turned to look down at Akina who was standing in the street below. He turned to look at her, his worried expression meeting hers. He could see she too was on edge and anxious, maybe even terrified. If she was, though, Hime was doing a bloody good job in hiding it. _What would expect from someone like her? She's practically been brought up to be like a Soviet or some kind of army person._

"Akina, get everyone moving!" she ordered. "The shit's gonna hit the fan in a second!"

He nodded and began urging the few bystanders who were not already turning to run to flee the area. A loud boom echoed from far ahead of them, followed by what could only be described as a kind of screech that was low and high at the same time, like the roar of a lion mixed with a scream from a woman standing at the other end of the street. It shook the bus stop and went right through Hime. For a brief second, she felt terrified beyond belief, her blood turning to ice and her hair stood on end.

 _C'mon, keep it together, girl!_ She mentally berated herself and turned down to the now two people who were glancing between her and the sounds of crashes and loud booms gradually moving closer to them from behind the buildings far ahead of them.

"Get out of here!" she snapped at them. "Go, unless you want to die!"

The last word seemed to have given them more than enough persuasion. The man and his wife turned and fled down the street as fast as they could go. Hime turned back to Akina to see him ushering some more people nearby to evacuate.

"Akina, make sure _everybody_ gets a move on." She called over to him. "We don't need any apples taking pictures of this."

"Got it!" he confirmed, giving her a nod.

Hime turned back to face the street ahead of her, seeing a few cars shoot past from a street on the left and disappear into one on the right at terrific speed. Another roar filled the air, followed by a loud crash and something exploded from behind a building, filling the air with an eerie yellowy glow.

"Looks like it's definitely something _big_ coming this way." She muttered to herself. _I just hope we can face off against him._

If not, then they were in for a rough time. _I just hope Kyosuke and the others can st-_

"Hime, look out!" Akina cried all of a sudden.

Something flew towards her. Hime had barely a second to glance before her peripheral vision was filled with something falling on top of her. She dived out of the way, landing with ease on the pavement as the bus stop was obliterated with a loud crash. She turned away for a moment to shield her face from any debris and then looked back. It was a minivan, thankfully empty but still a deadly weapon nonetheless when it was being used for lethal intentions. Its roof and side were smashed and glass was sprayed across the pavement, both from its windows and windscreens and what used to be the bus stop.

"Lucky miss!" Akina exclaimed as he rushed over to Hime, giving her a concerned look as her face held one of shock and surprise. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded slightly, a little shook up. "Fine."

 **CRASH!** Looking down the street, the two watched as an apartment complex about ten stories tall seemed to disintegrate as if it were made of toothpicks. Pieces of concreate and glass flew down the street and they had to move quickly to dodge them. A parked car further down the road was obliterated by a piece of mortar the size of a small van. Windows on the surrounding cracked and a wall of dust raced towards them as if eager to swallow them.

"Cover your mouth and eyes!" Hime ordered, instinctively throwing her head down and bringing her arms over her head to protect herself; Akina doing the same beside her.

The dust swarmed over them and seemed to send them into another world. Hime coughed and tried to wave the dust away with her arm whilst grabbing Akina. He led held onto her and slowly led them up the street. Another roar sounded from somewhere and, as if terrified, the dust dissipated quickly, revealing a rubble filled street with large lumps of neighbouring buildings scattered everywhere.

It was what loomed over them that took the two by surprise. Hime gasped and Akina muttered something incoherent, almost retreating a step as they stared up at what they could only describe as an abomination, a creature of darkness, a devil from hell itself.

A long, jet black body seemed to occupy much of the street, its size almost touching both buildings on either side of it. The back of the body was unseen thanks to a large pile of rubble, which had once been the apartment building, and a cloud of dust and smoke blocking its way. A series of scales ran along the top of the body, no doubt armour to protect it from any attacks. Two large, black clawed feet akin to those on a komodo dragon clamped down into the tarmac, cracking it and causing a few underground pipes to burst and wet them. What really stood out was the head. It was like that of a mythical dragon Akina had once seen in a Chinese art painting many years previous, except that _those_ had been either jade green or a multitude of different bright colours. Here, this one was completely black to the point that had it not been for the whites of its eyes and the opening and closing of its jaws, it would have been almost completely camouflaged against the night sky above. A large square-like shaped snout jutted out from the centre of the face, the teeth within gritted together and a low growl emanating from within. Two small antennae-like protrusions stuck out from the front of the snout above the nostrils and a row of spines ran from the forehead between the eyes, both of which were a fiery orange in a white background, and across the head and down to the bottom of the neck.

The creature stared down at the two with an evil malice in its eyes, enough to force them to retreat a little out of fear and readiness for when it would lunge at them. Hime readied her staff and Akina took out his small wooden sword and pressed a button on the bottom, causing it to unsheathe. Despite being armed, he could feel himself shaking in his shoes. The length of this thing had be at least a couple of hundred of feet! Maybe even more!

"Any idea how we can take this thing down?" Akina asked Hime.

"Split up and attack any weak points. Go for the head if you can." She answered, taking off her scarf and revealing the long scar across her neck, which Akina glanced at for a moment. "And whatever you do, _don't die!_ " she added with a venomous tone on the last two words.

He nodded, though his blood ran cold a little from those last two words. _Don't die!_ He wished that would not happen but it was something he could not guarantee. With something like _this_ facing them, they were going to be in for a fight for their very lives. He looked over at the Sakurashin mayor and saw her staring up at the creature with determination in her eyes, ready to fight. _How could she not be scared?!_ Maybe she was, but if so, then she was doing a very good job of hiding it behind her usual stoic and harsh expression.

Loud cackling made them look up to one of the buildings on the right side of the street just level with the creature'shead. A figure was standing there and smiling evilly down at them. Hime's eyes glared dangerously.

"Gin, you bastard!" she shouted up at him. "We should have known you'd be behind this!"

He only laughed in response, took a deep breath to control himself and then looked back down at them. "Well done, Hime! Even though it's _pretty obvious!_ I would've thought that _you_ of all people would be able to put two and two together."

Hime gritted her teeth in anger, tightening her grip on her staff. He was mocking her! That stupid bastard! That asshole! He comes here and terrorises countless people along the Tokyo coastline and he laughs about it? He needs to be stopped, and fast.

"Hime, don't let him get to you." Akina advised her, though his voice noticeably held the same anger as hers.

"I'll keep that in mind." She muttered in reply.

The creature let out a growl as it moved back slightly, putting the two on immediate alert as it looked as if it was going to attack. Gin's smile held its position on his face and he let out a chuckle.

 _They're in for it unless they give up. They do that and-_ what the!

The creature roared as something slammed into the back of its head, knocking its head into a building and causing it to roll over. Gin roared out an interjection and began angrily frantically searching the sky for whatever had just hurt the creature. He saw a group of figures descend and land on the ground near Hime and Akina.

"Nice of you to start the party without us," Kotoha commented as she came to a rest near the two; Kyosuke and Ao landing alongside her.

"Sorry we're a bit late, we had a little trouble with trying to avoid getting stepped on." Kyosuke added, his red horns now noticeably protruding from his forehead.

"Did everyone get out okay?" Hime asked them immediately.

Kotoha's face fell a little, her eyes dropping to a sad expression. " _Most_ of them did. It swarmed ashore onto the ground and washed a lot of what was on the streets away. We saved a couple but …" she trailed off but Hime heard enough. Even though these were technically not her people, they were still innocent. They still had just as much of a right to live as anyone else!

 _As horrible as this is, thank god, or whatever it out there that we're_ not _fighting this thing in Sakurashin_

"Guys, it's getting back up!" Akina exclaimed with a fear filled voice.

He was right. The creature, slamming one of its feet into the ground so hard that it went through the tarmac and crushed a series of pipes underneath it, pulled itself upright and glared down at the group, its eyes now practically on fire with anger. _They dare do that to him! Oh, they were going to suffer an excruciating pain for that!_

High above, Gin's laughter cackled out into the night air. "Looks like you guys will have a fight on your hands." He said and waved an arm towards the creature. "Say hello to Manda, a water god with incredible strength, endurance and a _really_ big hatred for his enemies."

"What a way to earn a greeting." Kotoha muttered to herself.

Manda growled and slammed his other leg into the ground, making it rumble and almost causing the group to fall over. Kyosuke clenched his fists, the aura of power radiating off his body like the heat from a fireplace. Hime readied her weapon staff and Akina his. Kotoha pulled Ao close to her and got ready to begin commanding for something to appear in assisting them in fighting Manda. Gin smiled.

"Looks like I've got a show on my hand." He muttered to himself.

And on that note, as if on cue, Manda attacked, sending the group scattering as his head slammed into the road, destroying a huge chunk of it. Dust momentarily filled the air, which obscured his vision and gave the group enough time to move away. Manda pulled his head away and saw Hime, Ao and Akina standing further up the street. With a growl, he moved his enormous bulk after him, ignoring an attempt by Kyosuke as he fired a blast at his back that only ended up bouncing off his armour.

Nearby, Kotoha dived into an alley as the huge black mass that was Manda's body barrelled down the street, it rubbing against buildings and tearing chunks out of them. She had to dodge a few pieces of rubble that flew in her direction. Her mind raced. She had to do something! Manda was not going to stop for anything to get them, even if it was a building full of people. If they did not stop him quickly, then thousands of people were going to lose their lives.

 _Looks like I'll need a big gun like last time_ she thought to herself, her mind briefly drifting back to when she had used a railroad gun to blast an enemy on the top of the Tokyo Tower. _Though I'll need something more convenient … and not as big._

* * *

Out in the bay, the few small vessels that had arrived at the scene of the disaster first, were busy moving between the remains of the ship. Crewmembers shone torches or lights from their phones at the water, hoping that the sound of splashing or the sight of another body would mean that a few had survived the attack. I say 'another body', dear readers, because they had already found a few bodies floating on the surface, all of them having expired. It created a feeling of fading hope among the rescuers looking for survivors but they were determined not to give up.

One of the boats, a small trawler that had rushed to the scene so quickly that its crew had forgotten to pull up the nets, manoeuvred around a floating cluster of debris that the driver suspected had once been part of the living quarters for the crew. One crewmember was at the front, scanning the surface of the bay with his torch, the ray of light piercing the darkness like the sun rising during the night. A look of concern was etched across his face, emphasised by his chewed bottom lip and tightened position of his shoulders. Somebody had to be alive; it was unlikely but he _had_ to hope. If not, then what was the point of them being out here?

A roar from the city reached his ears and made him jump, almost dropping his torch in the process. His eyes looked up at the destroyed sections of the docks and the buildings behind it. That thing had been enormous, bigger than anything he, or probably anyone else for that matter thought possible. They had been a few hundred feet from the docks when it emerged. The length of the monster seemed endless. What it was doing right now was unsure but he was not going to complain. If it was able to sink an entire fishing tanker the size of a skyscraper, then apartment buildings standing no more than seventy feet tall would be nothing.

 _I hope everyone there got out in time_ he mentally thought to himself, but doubted that very much, forcing himself to turn back to the water.

He stopped. That sound … It was … _Splashing?_ Yes! Someone was out there!

"There's someone in the water!" he paused and shone his flashlight and pointed in the same direction. "Over there!"

The driver turned the boat in said direction and began moving it there. Seconds ticked past and the splashing grew louder and louder. His brown eyes searched the surface, looking for any change in their motion that was not coming from the boat. He had to resist turning back to the city when a second loud roar filled the air so as not to lose sight of anything that might lead them to the survivor. The splashing grew louder and somebody's voice called out for help from not far in front of them. The torch turned in that direction as the boat knocked against something in the water.

"There!"

About twenty feet ahead of them, somebody waved out to them with one arm whilst holding onto the body of another man, likely a fellow crewmember. He coughed as his head momentarily sank beneath the water and then came up again. He cried out to them, urging them to hurry. The driver of the boat responded by slowing the boat down and turning it sideways slightly whilst two others on the ship, one of them being the one with the torch, rushed to grab towels and life rings.

It took about five minutes for them to get the boat in place and throw the rings to the survivors and pull them in but they did it in the end. Coughing and spluttering, the survivor who had cried out to them thanked them and asked about his fellow crewmember.

"He's fine," the driver of the fishing boat reassured him. "Just unconscious. We got to you guys just in time." A pause fell between them as he turned and gave some orders to the man with the torch. "What's your name?" he asked the survivor.

"Toshio." He answered, looking back over where the tanker had been, his face showing that he was completely stunned over what had happened to his place of work. "Ship went under so fast. Gone … Just like that. I barely had time to think."

The driver patted him on the shoulder. _Don't worry._ "Well, at least we got you guys. And I'm sure there are others who made it." He said.

"Cap!" the crewmember, who was standing at the steering wheel on the deck above them, exclaimed all of a sudden, pointing out to the sea. "Something's happening to another ship. Look"

They all looked, their eyes scanning the darkness with their eyes. What was causing him to freak out like that? They saw nothing other than a few lights of nearby ships doing the same thing as them; searching for survivors. One was approaching them pretty quickly. _Maybe they wanted to check on who we-wait!_

The captain's eyes looked back at the approaching light that pierced the darkness and was coming straight towards them very quickly. For a moment, his brain went into questioning mode. _What was going on? Why was it doing this? How_ could _it even go_ that _fast?! They'd have to be a speedboat to be able to get to that speed, and none passed us._

He got his answers when he saw a huge dark object pushing the water, and the boat, along the surface towards them as if intending to ram them. It was a huge knobbly spire that must have stood at about fifty feet, maybe even more! What was more, two more moving with it. One was sticking straight up into the air (this one being next to the boat) and one each sticking out diagonally up on either side. The water around it was pushed away like knife through warm butter. The captain and his crew could not take their eyes off it or the boat. It was about a hundred feet away now but would be right on top of them.

"JUMP!"

They dived overboard and began swimming like hell away from their boat, adrenaline coursing through their veins. Behind them, the sound of the water being pushed aside was growing louder to being almost deafening. Toshio swam harder. He had to get to the shore! It was far but it was either that or get swallowed by … whatever was coming here.

"Look out!" someone shouted.

He was flying, soaring through the air, the world being turned around immensely as if he were on an amusement ride. Tokyo was spinning. The bay was first above, then below, then above again. His brain could make no sense of it. Then, with a loud SPLASH, he landed into the darkness of the bay once more. Panic seized him as he tried to regain his composure and moved towards the surface as fast as he c-

He stopped dead, his eyes wide as dinner as they fell on a big shape, and by big, dear readers, I mean it was _huge_. His eyes did not seem to register any pain they would normally encounter in salt water as they remained transfixed on this … this thing. It was like a huge black wall moving through the bay at quite terrifying speeds considering the size.

He watched as the shape moved towards the docks and then … he almost gasped as he saw what looked like two huge legs sprout from the bottom of the shape. One moved up whilst the other clamped onto the side of the wall underwater and pushed the huge bulk that was the body up. Within a second, though, it was gone and all that followed was a long tail that seemed just as endless as the body of the creature that sank his boat.

Toshio swam up and took a big gulp of breath when his head broke the surface. His eyes stung madly and he rubbed them, trying to soothe away the pain. After a moment, he moved his hands away from his eyes … And managed to gasp this time, his body going rigid, his blood turning cold and heart practically stopping dead.

* * *

"Watch out!" **CRASH!**

With a snarl, Manda had lunged Hime again and it was only her quick reflexes that prevented her from being smashed to pieces. The roof, or rather the whole building she had been standing on was a different matter as it collapsed into a heap of rubble, spraying dust and debris across several blocks. She landed on a lamppost that only just reached Manda's thick main body, her heart pounding away inside her. _That was close._

Manda pulled back from the building, growling angrily as his eyes fell on Hime once again, determined to strike her down and tear her to pieces. Hime readied herself to jump again when a blast shot past her from below. It struck the slithering creature in the jaw and he roared in pain, staggering backwards and taking out a few small trees and parts of two office buildings. Hime looked down to see Kyosuke standing there. He gave her a nod and she nodded back. _Thanks._

"Ao, try and distract him!" came Akina's voice from nearby.

As if on cue, Ao ran towards Manda from a nearby side street and threw a small ball-like object at him. A blinding light exploded in mid-air and Manda roared in surprise, staggering back a little as the light stunned him. Hime also had to look away for a moment until the light faded. When it did, she jumped down to the ground, keeping her eyes on Manda though as he tried to shake away the strobe from the device.

"A flashbang, courtesy of Kotoha, no doubt." Kyosuke said.

"But it still doesn't bring up closer to stopping him," Hime replied, a tone of annoyance in her voice. _We're getting nowhere! There_ has _to be a way to stop him._

"Don't even try it, missy!" a familiar voice snidely said to them from behind. They looked and saw Gin standing a few metres away, his arms holding two staffs with jade green points and red Kanji script along the side. "Look familiar?" he said rhetorically, holding up the one in his left hand to Hime.

She gritted her teeth in anger. "Give it back, Gin!" she snarled.

He laughed. "How about; screw you, bitch!" he said mockingly and charged forward, swinging both staffs at his enemies, forcing them to move out of the way. He growled and swung at Kyosuke, who dodged it with a swipe of his hand and punched Gin in the side. "Agh!" he spat, staggering back a little, finding himself between the Oni and Hime. "Ha! A little encirclement, is it?" he said with an air of mock impressment.

"Give it up, Gin!" Hime growled, tightening her grip on her staff. "You can't beat both of us."

Gin glared at her, furious that she would say something like that to him. Then, his eyes looked up past her and a smile crept across his face. Behind him, Hime saw Kyosuke's face turn from anger into an expression to a ghostly white of fear and he stepped back a pace.

"Or it is," Gin said nastily.

As if on cue, a growl made Hime stop dead. It came from behind her! If that happened, then … that meant …

Turning, she almost let out a scream as the angry eyes of Manda looked down at her, glowing with hatred like molten lava spewing out of a volcano. He slammed his forward leg into the ground, almost knocking her over. It was a clear move of intimidation, as if he wanted her to run so he could pursue. Hime had to admit to herself mentally that it _was_ working. He wanted her to flee; he wanted the thrill of a chase. But she was not going to give it to him, even if she was close to soiling herself.

"Looks like you're outmatched, _mayor_ ," Gin said mockingly, half-turning to face Kyosuke. "Have fun fighting-"

A loud whoosh filled the air as something shot overhead like a bullet. The next thing they knew, Manda let out an ear-splitting cry as something exploded on his side. His body writhed and Hime had to dive to a nearby doorframe to stop herself being crushed by his immense body as he landed on the ground. Dust filled the air and she raised her arm to protect her face. When it subsided, she saw Manda still standing, though he was now looking angrily up at the sky.

 _Damn, Kotoha! You almost killed me!_ Hime thought, but then heard the WHOOSH of a jet and saw two of them fly overhead, one of them firing a barrage of ammunition that tore up the street. It shredded an already flattened car and struck Manda in the back, though they bounced harmlessly off his armoured back. Still, it was enough to make him roar in anger, momentarily distracting him.

Down the street behind Manda, Kotoha, Akina and Ao pushed a large army cannon into place, its end pointing directly at him. It was a large weapon big enough to fire shells that could break through tank armour. Whether that would apply to _monsters_ as well, they did not know. Ao was hoping that Kotoha's ability to conjure up these things meant they were more powerful. _Probably not._

"Kotoha, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ao asked as Akina glanced warily at the behemoth before them, thankful it was too preoccupied to look over its shoulder.

"Nope," she replied, tightening her jacket and taking off her glasses. "But right now, we don't have a choice." A pause hung between them as she muttered something and a huge shell appeared in her hands. "I just hope it's enough."

 _Me too_ Ao thought to herself.

The ground shook a little and she immediately turned her head to look up the street. "What is it?" Akina asked, immediately concerned when he saw her face.

"Something's coming!" Ao said, her voice full of alarm and her face looking slightly panicked. "And it's something big!"

Another loud WHOOSH filled the air as the jets passed over again and something dropped from one of them. Instinctively, Kotoha grabbed Ao and Akina and pulled them away from the gun, shouting something out. A huge titanium cube formed around them, each piece shooting out of the ground like plants doing an entire year's worth of growth in a matter of seconds.

"Hang onto your teeth!" Kotoha advised them, kneeling down and covering her head with her hands. "And Ao, I'd cover your ears," she added.

* * *

Hime ducked into a shop through a smashed window when she heard the jets passing overhead again, knowing what was coming. For a moment, she could only hear the movements created by Manda's body. Then, as if the sun was crashing into the earth, a wall of fire swept down the street, scorching everything in its path. Hime ducked and covered her head, thinking that in the next few seconds she would be burnt to a crisp in a shop. Her entire body would be nothing but ash and dust. Nothing would be left, nothing for the others to find.

Another loud roar filled the air, no doubt meaning that Manda was struck by whatever was being dropped. The ground shook a little. Something fell to the floor nearby with a crash whilst outside she heard loud crashes and glass smashing, though she was unsure if it was because of the monster or the military. Then she felt heat flash across her head despite there being a wall between the outside and her. A few loud booms echoed out, though Hime realised they sounded a bit too distant to be anything from Manda.

 _What are they?_

After about five seconds, she groggily got up and looked outside to be greeted by a wall of smoke and dust. Manda was shaking off debris and dust, several noticeable wounds scattered across his body. The surrounding buildings were peppered with holes and the ground was covered in smashed glass. Anyone who was left in the buildings was going to be dead by this point.

 _Hopefully none were_ Hime thought to herself.

 _Boom!_ Manda looked up and let out a surprised roar and backed up a few paces, tearing some chunks out of some nearby buildings. Hime too looked up and almost fell over at the sight before her.

Up and down the street, and likely all over this part of Tokyo, everyone looked up and their faces turned to shock, fear and … being pure aghast. The three behind Manda broke out of their cube, only to stop dead when they looked up. Akina muttered something under his breath, Ao gasped and Kotoha just stared in absolute disbelief, shaking her head a little. _That's not possible. Something_ that _big can't exist._

What they were staring at, dear readers, was humungous, gigantic. No, none of these words did any justice in trying to describe the size of this creature. Two legs with huge calf muscles held the creature upright with a set of four clawed toes sticking out of each one. Above the hips was a heavily built torso, one that was held defined chest muscles and even what looked like a six pack. A pair of powerful arms stuck out of the torso, both covered in pulsating muscles as if it were exercising constantly. The neck was wide and thick and attached to it was a head that was like a dinosaur with a pair of eyes on the front, a pair of large slits for nostrils and a mouth that revealed hundreds of teeth that would be inadequate to describe as razor sharp. The fact that they were clenched together, along with the fists, made this creature all the more terrifying to witness. A huge tail about four hundred feet long trailed out behind it and down the creature's back from the neck all the way to the end of the tail were a row of dorsal fins; those that were in the middle of the back being the biggest of the lot.

Looking at the creature was terrifying enough, but what really stood out was the size. It stood, no it _towered_ over much of the surrounding city-scape, its huge body barely fitting between the remains of several buildings Manda had knocked down during the fight with the group earlier. They must have looked like toys to it, and people were probably no more than insect sized when standing next to it, or close to it would probably be a better word. Despite this, the creature did not look set on playing or exploring. The look on its face was one of anger, fury, hatred. It was as if it were a demon from hell come to destroy, a monster come to remove any competition or enemies, a behemoth once relegated to mere mythology that had now become reality.

Hime, who had no doubt the others were thinking the same thing, had seen this for the first time. Yet, the name came to her as the only logical thing. And even then she had not the power to voice it as if it would summon something unimaginable.

A monster, a behemoth, a creature, a titan. The one her grandmother had written about in her works, and had been around before Sakurashin even existed.

One that held a name they all knew but had not the power to utter it.

Godzilla.

 _ **SKKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ooooooooonnngggggghhhhhh!**_


	8. Behemoth battle

Hime had to admit to herself then and there, she was scared, terrified. No, she was almost on the verge of soiling herself and passing out. She had gone up against many opponents before in Sakurashin and elsewhere, but they had been human or Yokai, enemies who she was used to dealing with. But _this …_ thing? There was no way she could have ever foreseen going up against something like this. Her brain kept screaming at her to run, her heart was beating as if it were a marathon and her blood was running cold. She was expecting her skin to fall off and run away itself and leave the rest of her behind. _How could someone_ not _be scared by this? That roar is enough to terrify anyone_.

As the noise of the roar died down, Manda snarled and lunged forward at Godzilla, clamping down on his larger opponent's chest. Godzilla roared, almost losing his footing. His tail tore the top half of a damaged but still standing building. He grabbed Manda by the back of the neck and began pulling hard to try and get him to release his grip. Manda responded by swinging his huge body around and struck his enormous enemy in the side. Godzilla let out a cry of pain and fell sideways, landing with a THUD that shook the ground and crushed a few nearby apartment buildings. Manda, now free from the grip, retreated away from Godzilla, snarling in a taunting way. _You stupid, overgrown oaf! You can't defeat me!_

* * *

"Watch out!"

Akina, Ao and Kotoha had to dive out of the road, hugging the walls of the buildings as much as they could as Manda ploughed towards them, his body scraping the sides of the buildings around him as he went and squashing a few cars to a flatness reminiscent of a pancake. Luckily, he took no notice of them. All that he was set on was putting some distance between him and Godzilla.

As the end of his body moved past them, Kotoha happened to glance up and saw Gin holding onto a knobbly part of the creature's armour, an annoyed look on his face as he looked back in the direction of Godzilla.

 _Looks like he's not too happy Manda's not making a stand_ she thought to herself as they turned up another street, ploughing through another set of buildings, and disappeared from sight, the noise of his destructive movement echoing through the air.

Gingerly, as if fearing he would turn around and come back for them, they emerged from their hiding spots, taking in the damage to the street and the sounds of screams, crashes and roars from nearby.

"Geez, this thing is unstoppable!" Akina said, trying to get rid of some of the shock from the last few minutes. "You girls okay?" he asked them.

"Fine," Kotoha replied and Ao nodded, a scared expression on her face. "I just hope Hime and Kyosuke have made it," Kotoha added, not hiding the nervousness in her voice.

Akina nodded in agreement, looking back up the road to see a huge cloud of dust and smoke hanging in the air, obscuring most of his vision. Though, he could just about see the huge form of the new arrival that Manda had just fought. Although it was down, the sight was enough to make him _very_ nervous.

"We should check, just in case." He told them, though he really did not want to given how close they were to Godzilla.

They ran down the street towards the place where they had last seen Hime and Kyosuke, praying that both were okay. Kotoha and Ao began looking through the shop windows whilst Akina kept an eye on the creature a hundred feet away from them, fearing that at any moment it would get up. He asked Ao if it was still alive and she confirmed it so, which only made him more nervous.

After about two minutes of searching, they heard coughing come from a nearby broken window that led into another shop. Hime's form stood up, brushing dust off herself. When she saw them, a look of relief spread across her face.

"Guys!" she exclaimed, climbing through the window onto the war-torn street. "You're alive! Are you okay?"

"We're fine," Kotoha replied. "Just had a lucky escape with Manda." As if to emphasise the monster's name, a roar came from behind them that drew their glances to the direction they had last seen said monster going.

"Where's Kyosuke?" Ao asked, glancing around to see that the last member of their team was not here.

"I'm here,"

Looking up the street, they saw Kyosuke running towards them, his trousers and top torn slightly and his face had a cut across the cheek. Dust covered his hair and shoulders.

"Sorry to join you guys late." He said, adding a little humour in, but he was glad everyone was okay. "When they started fighting, I dived out of the way and threw myself into the entrance of an apartment building on the other side of the street-" (he nodded his head in that direction) "-Only just missed getting squashed."

"Well look, now that we're all here, we need to focus on getting Gin," Hime spoke up. "Kyosuke, did you see where he went?"

"We did." Kotoha piped up. "He was on the back of Manda, and he looked pissed. I guess he wanted that snake to go after Godzilla."

"Well didn't you try and stop them?" Hime asked, a tone of anger in her voice.

"We couldn't! Even if we tried, they'd kill us!" Kotoha argued back, her voice also filling with anger at Hime's indifference.

"Uh guys?" Ao's panicked voice suddenly spoke up.

Before any of them could react, the ground shook a little, the centre of the noise coming from down the street. That could only mean one thing!

A huge shape rose from the ground, a long tail sticking out from behind it. Instinctively, the group backed away, their entire attention focused on the monster before them. It was obvious to all of them, and anyone who was observing what was happening, that Godzilla was a lot tougher than he looked, and he was bound to be pissed off!

With a growl that sent chills down their spines, Godzilla pushed himself up, shaking the dust off his immense body. He looked up, his size towering over much of the surrounding city. His eyes scanned the skyline for a split second, searching for his target, the fire within them burning like a furnace. They fell on a trail of smoke and distant explosions a few hundred metres away (at least from Godzilla's perspective), just as another explosion erupted from a group of buildings. A large shape moved among them, brushing aside a tall apartment structure that collapsed into a cloud of dust and smoke.

 _There he is! He won't get away!_

If there was one thing that Godzilla despised, it was letting a potential rival and enemy get away when he should have been tearing them apart! This was _his_ territory, after all. To let a creature such as this wander around however he pleased was akin to mother lion allowing her cub to be mauled by its wildebeest prey. No! Not whilst he was around.

The drive to remove this rival clouded his vision. All that he could think of was getting to Manda and tearing him limb from limb. He charged forward, ploughing through another group of buildings in the process as he pursued his foe. The tail swung overhead, making the group duck in fear that it was going to fall and crush them. It passed overhead and then seemed to disappear from view behind the row of buildings. The group, who were probably no more than a few tens of metres from him, watched his massive figure move away, his completely forgetting, or even unaware of their existence.

For a moment they were entirely speechless, as if the appearance of this monster had obstructed their ability to communicate. Then, Hime spoke up, but her voice was only audible to those immediately around her.

"We need to go after them, now!" she said. "We have to stop them!"

None of them argued back or protested, or if they did the latter it was silent. Yet they were all afraid. They were about to advance against possibly the biggest threat, in both size and meaning. If anyone was not scared when going up against odds like these; they were either mad, or _very_ stupid.

 _Or both_ Akina mentally told himself, knowing that such things were possible.

"C'mon, let's go!" Hime said, leading the group back down the road, the noise of distant explosions and screams filling the air; two military jets passing overhead.

* * *

Gin held onto the tail for dear life, his face contorted into a look of annoyance, even downright anger. _Why was he doing this?_ The stupid creature! He was supposed to be a dangerous Yokai god, and yet he was running scared from an opponent. So much for the _mighty Manda_!

 _Why is it I have to do everything?!_ He thought to himself.

Still, at least Manda had managed to scare away most of the local human population. Luckily, for them at least, everyone had been out on this evening and so most had been able to easily flee when they saw him coming. A few had been unlucky, especially in the buildings that Manda had torn through or knocked over, but those were only a few losses. _Acceptable losses_ , Gin had heard humans use several times before; those that were tragic, no doubt, but worth the sacrifice for the greater good.

A sudden jolt almost threw him to the ground far below. Manda had come to a halt in a huge intersection with buildings towering just above his head. Behind him, a trail of smoke and fire was all that could be seen with many crushed cars, trees, lampposts and the unfortunate body of a person lying up and down the street. Gin gritted his teeth, his patience with this creature already wearing thin. His eyes began to turn a blood red colour as if to accentuate his anger.

"I hope Akiro can real him in!" Gin muttered to himself.

A loud roar ripped through the air, startling him for a moment and making Manda in its direction. Gin did the same and saw a huge towering mass coming towards them. The smoke from a burning building briefly hid him from the two. Then it emerged. Godzilla had come in for round two.

Manda growled and turned himself around, ready to face his enemy again. Godzilla responded in turn; teeth bared, a look of fury on his face and hands clenched into fists as he advanced. Manda decided to meet him head on and surged forward, creating a hole in the row of buildings before him and scattering debris and dust everywhere.

Gin, who grabbed onto a knobbly part of Manda's back, took out both staffs from his pockets and extended them out to their full length. The jade green crystals glowed brightly and he looked up at the behemoth coming towards them.

 _Now I just need to rush forward and Godzilla will soon realise their full power_ he thought to himself.

When the two monsters were close to each other, Manda launched the first attack. He jumped forward, aiming to clamp his jaws down on Godzilla's shoulder. His larger opponent, however, anticipated the move and turned with speed that belied his enormous size. His tail swung round and struck his water snake-like enemy hard in the side, throwing him onto another road of buildings, crushing them into dust. Gin was thrown off Manda and landed on the ground with a painful thud. He groaned in pain but had to roll out of the way as Manda's tail slammed into the tarmac, cracking it and bursting the water lines underneath.

As Manda pushed himself up, Godzilla's shadow fell over him. A huge, thick foot slammed down onto his body, pinning him to the ground. Manda roared and struggled violently, shaking his body, throwing his tail at Godzilla in an attempt to knock him over. He even tried biting him but Godzilla's foot just near his neck prevented this from being effective. It was hopeless. Godzilla was too big and heavy. It looked as if it were all over for Man

A chorus of loud whooshes filled the air and something exploded on the side of Godzilla's neck, quickly being followed up with another to his head. A third object flew past him and burst into flames on the ground, just missing Manda's head. Godzilla roared and staggered sideways off Manda and down the road, glancing up to see a trio of jets pass overhead. He let out a series of growls, no doubt invectives at the pilots.

Seeing his chance, Manda lunged forward and clamped his jaws down on Godzilla's neck, using his forward feet to push into his larger opponent with all his might. It took Godzilla by surprise and the ground leapt as if an earthquake were striking the area as he crashed onto another row of buildings. Gin, who had jumped onto a nearby roof when Manda was forced down moments earlier, smiled.

 _Now's my chance_

* * *

"Look!" Ao exclaimed.

The group came to a halt a few hundred feet down the road from the behemoths and watched as Manda stood over Godzilla, his eyes burning with hatred as he glared down at his larger enemy. The desire to kill was evident even to the most simple-minded of mouth opened and let out a growl of what could be interpreted as amusement at how so big an enemy was easily defeated. Now he was going to rip him to shreds and he would be victorious. A tough, but short fight! Soon to be forgotten by the water snake-like monster. Too e-

With a swipe of his hand, Godzilla managed to throw Manda off with a suitable strike to the face that sent him crashing to the ground. The group watched as the bigger, two legged creature tried to pick itself back up, eliciting a few noises that could be interpreted as groans as he did so.

"Do you think he's okay?" Hime muttered.

"I guess so," Kyosuke replied, briefly looking at her with a questioning expression. "Why?"

Before she could reply, Akina shouted out "Look!" and pointed down the street at Godzilla. The others looked and saw …

"That's gotta be Gin!" Hime exclaimed angrily.

A figure was leaping towards Godzilla with something glowing green in its possession. Hime, Akina and Kyosuke recognised the green glow almost immediately. It was the one of the Dragon Spear that had been stolen from the temple last night. The anger that filled her was quickly replaced with confusion and wonder when she began to realise that Gin (seeing as no one else they knew of possessed the spear) was going _towards_ Godzilla.

 _What's he doing?_ She asked herself.

Then, like the beginning of a new dawn, a bright flash of green light illuminated the sky and forced the group to look away. It lasted only for a second before fading but when they turned back they saw Manda racing down the street towards them.

"Scatter!" Kotoha shouted in fear.

The others did not need telling twice. They were quick to dive out of the way, only just missing the enormous water snake-like creature as it barrelled towards them … and past them, completely ignoring their presence. After about five seconds, Manda was gone, having turned and disappeared behind the buildings and the wall of smoke that hung in the air.

Gingerly, the group emerged one-by-one, looking in the direction Manda had gone. Then Hime turned her head the other way and said one sentence aloud.

"Where's Godzilla?"


	9. Metamorphosis

**Six hours later**

It comes back to me, like the first breath of life a baby might take when it leaves the darkness of its mother's womb into the real world. I feel my … my heartbeat! Yes. And again, gradually increasing to a more stable rhythm. And I can feel the heat and just about see a ray of light fall on my skin, indicating it was now day time. Given that the fight had taken place at night in this city, it was not much of a surprise that it was now daytime.

All of this added up obviously meant that I'm alive. The question now was; _how alive?_ I try to look down at myself but my vision is blurry and only just trying to come back to me. A flare of pain shoots up my legs and back and I almost fall over onto my front but my hand stopped me. I felt drained, really tired. It appeared that the fight last night had taken more out of me than I thought. Either that or that …

Odd … the ground is more … numerous, and … there's not much distance between it and what I can see. It feels strange. It doesn't feel like rubble or anything like stone or concrete or twisted metal. My brain begins telling me that something is wrong. _Very wrong._

My vision begins to kick back in a bit more and so does my sense of smell. I fill my lungs with a huge intake of air. It feels good to smell … smoke?! Dust?! How can I at my height? Now I know something is wrong.

Maybe it was my adversary. He must have done something to me. Yes … it was gradually coming back to me. I remember that he knocked me down onto the street and then … a bright green flash of light filled the air. Yes … What _had_ that been? Had it been an attack by my snake-like enemy, or something by the humans? It had obviously done _something_ , but what I did not know. At least, not yet anyway.

I let out a low exhale and push myself up a little, the strength slowly returning to my arms and legs. I look around me, my eyes now a little more focused, and I see … tall buildings? Had I fallen in another part of the city? I don't remember the buildings being _this_ tall. And where were the humans? I'd expected to hear them panicking and scurrying away from me, but no. There was nothing … Nothing at all.

I push myself onto my knees, my back feeling less heavy than before. Strange. As my eyesight is gradually returning, I look over my shoulder and see only a bare bottom and a large tarmac covered floor with which a shadow was cast by the two buildings either side of m-wait!

My eyes suddenly shoot open as if I had just been given an electric shock. WHAT! W-where's my tail?! I look down at me and see nothing but a pair of legs, _human legs!_ My arms too are like those of a human. My heart rate goes through the roof and I begin frantically looking around as though my life depended on it. I have Human shoulders, chest, hands, fingers … even what's between my legs! _Wonderful!_

I feel around my head, or at least I hope what is my head. A layer of fur, or what the humans call 'hair', a pair of what seem to be ears, my nose and my mouth. I lower my hands slightly, wondering if a metamorphosis has really taken place. _Have I changed in my biological structure? Have I become … a human?_

A gleam of light shining off a nearby piece of glass on the ground catches my attention. I rush, or more like crawl over to it as my usage of these new found legs is amicable at the very best. One thing was set on my mind: _Get a look at myself!_

I grab the piece of glass and gingerly raise it up to my eyes, afraid of what I will see.

It takes only one glance for a second for me to comprehend what, or rather _who_ I was seeing in the reflection.

A few birds sitting on what was left of a nearby building were quick to take flight upon hearing my scream echo throughout the neighbourhood.

 **Author's note: Greetings fellow FF readers and writers. Apologies for this chapter being short as it's the only one I can spare in the limited free time I have at the moment.**

 **Now I have no doubt some of you will be asking why the main monster has become a human. Well, it is something that was initially proposed to me by RyuujiVantek. It is more of an experiment as to how I can flesh out his character if he was put in a different form. Hopefully it will turn out well; it is just a case of finding the time to put it all together.**

 **Hope everything is well with you all.**


	10. What to do now?

**Later that day**

"Mayor Hime, with all due respect, we cannot spare any resources at the moment to search for this supposed criminal in Tokyo."

With a heavy sigh, said woman mayor pinched the bridge of her nose with her finger and thumb. She felt annoyed, frustrated, furious. Better yet, completely pissed off with the commander standing in front of her. How they could ignore the source of this entire calamity was beyond her. She sat back a little in the chair she was in, resting one of her arms on the arm of said furniture, gripping the end of it tightly as if to try and crush it in her hand.

Ever since last night, when they had had recovered from the initial shock of the fight between Godzilla and Manda, they had been searching for two things almost non-stop. The first had been the latter of the aforementioned creatures; his disappearance being a huge mystery to them as well as the city. All they and other witnesses had to offer to the army was that Godzilla had been fighting Manda, levelling large areas of Tokyo in their immediate vicinity in the process, when a bright green light that was like a second sun had lit up the sky. When it had dissipated, he had disappeared completely. Nobody had seen him go anywhere. The only theory was that he had somehow teleported after being knocked down by his snake-like enemy.

Hime and the others had also wondered about the whereabouts of this gigantic creature. She had suspected that Gin, the second being they were looking for, was behind it and had sent the rest of her team out to try and scour the surrounding streets (or in Ao's case large areas of the city with her mind-reading powers) in search of him. So far, they had found nothing. Gin, like Godzilla, had just vanished, and Hime was left empty-handed, clueless as to what to do next and relatively angry.

And what was more, the Japanese military were being obviously reluctant to go after him as they were focusing all their resources on tracking Manda. They had sent out warships into the Pacific to pursue him but he had managed to evade them. The prime minister of the island nation had declared a state of emergency and initiated an evacuation plan and a curfew of Tokyo and all other major cities across the country. Anyone who was outside after 8pm in the evenings would be arrested and these new orders were to be enacted immediately and without question. Other nations around Japan had also been put on alert and were keeping their forces ready in case Manda decided to make landfall.

As for Godzilla, well … No one knew where he was but many feared he was simply recovering his strength for his eventual return. How long that would be, no one knew. A few hours, days, weeks, maybe even months or years. But he was somewhere out there and they had to find him. If not, then they were only risking a second attack by him, or even another confrontation between the two monsters should they make landfall in the same location again.

With all this attention being sent to finding said monsters and keeping everyone safe and reassured, Hime had been left thinking she and her team were the only ones actually looking for him. This explained why she was here now, trying to appeal to the commander to assist her in finding the fugitive responsible for last night's disaster.

And as you have seen, dear readers, it was not going according to plan.

The commander, a middle height, stocky man with a short crop of black hair, brown eyes and a small goatee around his chin, brushed some dust off his immaculate uniform. Dark rings surrounded his eyes from being up since last night and he had to force himself to stifle a yawn as he began filling out a report to file on the desk in front of him to his commanding officer.

"Commander," Hime pressed. "Are you sure you are not able to lend even a few forces to help me and my team search for Gin? It's very important we find him!"

"Mayor, I am unable to grant your request. In case you have forgotten, we are searching for a creature that is a grave threat to national security. And that's not even counting the possibility of the second one making an appearance again so we potentially have two to look for. It's not only _your_ little town that matters to us."

"I'm not trying to say that Manda _isn't_ a threat to the country," she retorted angrily. "I am emphasising that Gin is _the_ danger here because he is the one who summoned Manda. We need to look for him."

"And we will, but right now, that creature is our top priority." The commander paused to put a report to one side and placed his pen on the desk. He looked back up at her and interlocked his hands as if he was a manager proposing a new deal to an employee. "I assure you, when this first threat has been dealt with, we may start looking for this individual."

Hime just stared at him with an expression that clearly emphasised her displeasure, her annoyance with his obstinate, no complacent attitude. They were in the middle of a crisis, and whilst Manda was certainly a dangerous threat they had to look for the _real_ problem. _Why can't he just wake up and smell the damn coffee!_ Even his 'reassurance', if you could call it that, was laced with bullshit, saying that they _may_ help her.

Summing all of it up, they were being left out to dry.

"You don't believe me, do you?" she said to the commander, her tone now low and not attempting to hide she was annoyed.

"No, I do believe you," he replied bluntly. "I have heard of your town, and I'm respectful for it. But as I said, if you have to choose between hunting for, currently, a huge creature with the capability to wipe out an entire city as we almost saw last night, or someone who we have no intelligence or knowledge about, and yet is being presented as the biggest threat to Japan since the Second World War, then _you_ make the decision!" he paused, emphasising the severity of his words, each one hanging in the air as if they were a word of divine origin. "I apologise, Mayor, but we cannot, and _will not_ go after this 'Gin'. Even if we were, we have no idea where he is. Do you?"

Hime went to reply, but stopped herself short and looked down at the floor. As much as she did not want to admit it, he was right. They had no idea where Gin was, and it was unlikely they would be able to find him soon as he was prone to fleeing. And with the threat of two monsters out there, it was understandable why they would focus on the, quite literally, _bigger_ problem than finding someone who they did not know about and who would be _a lot_ harder to find than something the size of an office building.

A knock came at the door and the commander barked out an order for it to open. A young, tall man dressed in officer attire entered the room and snapped a salute.

"Sir, the mayor of Tokyo is here to speak to you. It's about the course of action of preparing the city in case of a second attack."

The commander nodded and turned to Hime. "Ma'am, it's time for you to go. If I were you, head home and prepare your town in case these creatures return. Anything could happen."

Hime did not nod or acknowledge his statement; she simply stood up and walked out of the room, the annoyance radiating off her like a radiator turned up high.

 _So we're on our own_ she mentally said to herself. _And with Gin now having disappeared again, could this get any worse?_

* * *

"Hime! What did they say?"

She walked towards the group who were sitting in the middle of a small park not far from the army HQ in the governmental building where she had had her meeting with the commander. Immediately after leaving said building, she had called the others and told them to meet her there. She had avoided saying why; something unusual for someone who was known for being upfront and to the point. When they (namely Kotoha) had pressed her for any answers over the phone, she had just told them to get to their meeting point and hung up, still heavily pissed off about the results of said meeting.

How could they just leave her out to dry like that?! How could they completely ignore the fact that Gin was the reason behind all this?! He was the one who had called Manda to attack Tokyo, he was the one who had caused the destruction last night, _and_ his actions were what led Godzilla here! And now the response of the military and national government to the crisis was basically ignoring his potentially dangerous motives. He was the reason behind all of this, and they were going after the effect and not the cause.

"Hime?" Akina asked as he rose from his seat to greet her. "What did they say?"

She stopped in front of them, surveyed them for a moment and sighed heavily. "They said they can't help us. Gin isn't important enough."

As expected, there was an uproar from the rest of the group. They questioned her why the Japanese military had decided not to help and she explained to them the meeting and what the military commander and the politicians had decided upon. When she was done, the group just shared flabbergasted expressions.

"How could they do that?" Kyosuke said. "Don't they realise how dangerous he is?"

"I don't think they do, but there's nothing more we can do." Hime replied. "Besides, as long as Manda and Godzilla are still out there, we won't be convincing them any time soon."

"So are we going to carry on looking for them?" Ao asked, drawing all gazes to her as she had been largely quiet since yesterday.

Silence reigned for a moment and then Hime spoke up. "We'll have to, Ao. No matter what, Gin can't be left out there. He'll do more damage otherwise."

Her cat eared friend just nodded and lowered her head a little, the slight movement more than shouting to Hime that she was still upset they were going after her brother. _We have to try and reason with him. Why can't we do that?_

 _If only, but he's already shown us he won't do that_ Hime thought to herself as in reply to Ao's facial expression.

But there was no point in getting into an argument now. They had to get back to the town and prepare it for any landfall by Manda or Godzilla, whichever of the two would land first. Even as they left and headed back in the direction of the public transport, Hime could only wonder what was going to happen next now that they had been left on their own to fix this problem.

It was going to be a long road ahead of them.

* * *

 **Later that night**

 **Somewhere in the backstreets of Tokyo**

Let me tell you, sneaking through the backstreets of a city was never an easy thing to do. Normally, I could have walked through the city with no problem but it's different when you are smaller. Correction, _a lot smaller_ than your original size and looking like one of the inhabitants of this city. I had spent a few hours trying to stay out of sight, not only to avoid detection but to try and contemplate my new state.

How had I become a human? How had I changed from being a 355ft tall creature that towered over almost everything around me, had the power to level every enemy I came across, and was practically invulnerable. How had all this changed? How I become so weak and powerless?

Maybe it had been my enemy. Manda was an obscure one so something like this was not below him, at least as far as I knew. The green light was the obvious method as to how I underwent this metamorphosis but questions still lingered in my mind. How could Manda have done that when he was almost on his last legs? There was no way he could have been that powerful to change me into a human whilst recovering from a deadly blow dealt to him. But if not him, then who?

I sigh heavily, my thoughts drifting onto the whereabouts of my enemy. His body was nowhere in the vicinity so it was obvious he had not fallen to the might of the humans. If he had, then it was remarkable they had removed his body so quickly. But it was unlikely he had been killed given his fast moving ability and armoured back. They had injured him but he would have been very hard to kill. _I quickly learnt that last night._

 _No, I mustn't become distracted_ I tell myself. _I have to find a way out of here,_ and _find some clothes._ Another reason for me hiding from prying eyes all day.

The obvious question was, where could I go? One thing about being a creature of my size was that they were not very accommodating to many things non-human, or even those of their own kind. Someone like me would only be seen as a liability, possibly a threat. Huh! If such was the case, then it wouldn't be very different from when I was in my original form. Still, where was I to sleep? What could I do? More importantly, how was I to return to my original f-

"Hey, leave me alone!"

"Shut up, bitch!"

My attention is drawn to the nearby alleyway that leads to another road. Gingerly, keeping to the shadows, I walk over and, pressing my body against the wall, I poke my head out to have a look.

A tall, rather strong looking man dressed in dark clothing stood over a woman who was cowering in fear on the ground, her black skirt torn down one side. In the man's hand was a knife and he held it with the end pointed menacingly towards the woman. Her eyes were wide, her breath ragged and she tried to back away but was stopped by the wall of the building behind her.

"L-leave me alone! Please!" she whimpered.

"Shut up! Now, you're gonna do exactly what I say," the man hissed, grabbing hold of her neck and yanking her up forcefully, making her yelp. "Don't wanna hurt a pretty face like yours while I have fun now, do I?" he asked rhetorically, pulling her face towards his and licking her cheek with his long, slimy, disgusting tongue.

Although I was not really that aware or caring towards humans, I felt the anger rise within me. My fists clenched hard and I even let out a small growl. _No, human or not, this was not going to happen!_

I immediately march out and stomp over to him, showing a large bin full of rubbish out of the way with no effort. The noise caught the attention of the two, just stopping the man from putting his hand up the woman's top. Though tonight was a full moon and there was a streetlight nearby, it just barely lit up my body. I stopped just enough for them to see me.

"What the hell you want, asshole?!" the man snapped at me, a look of confusion and anger etching across his face at his fun being spoiled. "And where are your clothes?!"

"That is not important." I say calmly but making it clear that I was disapproving of what he was doing. "Let the woman go!"

He just scoffed and spat disgustedly, showing a few missing teeth and pulled up the sleeve of his jacket, ready for a fight. "What, you from the future now?!" he said mockingly. "What the hell you gonna do?!" he added, raising the hand with the knife to show he was armed and ready to take me on.

I glared at him, my blue eyes burning a fiery colour and I stepped closer to them. For a millisecond, a look of surprise, probably even fear, flashed across his face but he tried to hide it behind a façade of anger. He shoved the woman to the floor and marched towards me, readying to swing at me with the blade.

"You best back off now before I slice you up!" he threatened.

I was unintimidated, looking down at the man who just barely came up to my chin. I had to admit, he was rather courageous for standing up to someone bigger than him. Such things I had seen before in other monsters. But usually it almost always meant stupidity, and he was showing more than enough of that right now.

Seeing that I was not going to back down, he swung the blade at me, driving it deep into my arm. Almost immediately, his look of anger changed to being aghast. No doubt he expected me to fall to the ground writhing in pain but it did not register that much beyond more than a flinch. _Wow! My human form is stronger than I anticipated._

He looked up at me. I looked at him, my blue eyes meeting his brown.

With one swift move, I grabbed him with my hand around the neck and lifted him up off the ground a good foot or two. He gasped for breath, dropping the blade, and tried to pull my fingers apart but it was hopeless. I was too strong for him. The woman lying on the ground just watched with eyes as wide as dinner plates, momentarily reminding me of some of those peculiar, exaggerated drawings of human expressions the humans have scattered around this country.

"Now, you will let her go before I _really_ hurt you!" I snarled at him, my eyes now like blue fire. He just managed to gasp out an affirmative answer and I dropped him to the ground, his gasping for breath filling the air for a moment. "Oh, and I will need your clothes."

He looked up at me with a pained look of: _Why?!_

Moments later, he ran into the alley I had come from. I now sported a pair of jeans, large black shoes that were a little tight for my feet, a black top that was _definitely_ smaller than my chest and a jacket that just about covered my torso. I turned to the woman, who was still looking at me as if I was in my original form, and told her to go home and walked past her without another word. On the street, I looked left and right, hoping to be able to now expand my search now that I was a little more decent as far as humans were concerned.

A large bus was parked nearby and I saw someone get on it. I had seen these before; they would travel short, or sometimes long distances to take humans to their intended destinations. Staying in Tokyo given what's just happened was probably the best idea so maybe I could use one that would take me somewhere where I would be more inconspicuous. _Though give my large stature and that I look like someone who had been exercising constantly, it probably wouldn't work._

Oh well … no shame in trying. And I have a little money anyway, curtsey of the gangster I had introduced myself to.

As I walked towards the bus, I could only wonder where it will take me to.


	11. Back in Sakurashin

**The following morning**

Sunlight blazed through the window and landed across Hime's face, the warmth gently stirring her sleeping form as her head lay against the window, a blanket placed over her body. Next to her sat Akina, who was slouched in his seat with his legs reaching under the seat of the woman in front of him. Kyosuke was sitting in the seat across the aisle from him next to a young boy who was wide awake and watching something on his phone. Kotoha and Ao were somewhere behind them.

The bus jolted as it hit a small pothole, snapping Hime awake fully for a split second as if she feared she was under attack, then she exhaled, realising it was just the bus. _Damn transport. Never comfortable, and with Gin running around, if he sees us on this then we're_ all _dead._

Thinking of such things made her only feel more down. _So much for the bright sunny day_. Ever since they had left Tokyo to get back to Sakurashin, she had been thinking of their next course of action. Of course, that was the question: _What_ could they do now? He had managed to evade them yet again and had summoned a creature that could potentially make landfall again and cause chaos. Their mission to stop him had just shot up in the levels of importance and severity.

And then there was Godzilla. Nobody had found any trace of him, even Ao had had no luck with her telepathic abilities. As they had seen before; he had just simply and utterly disappeared into thin air. That, obviously, raised the questions; _where_ is he _and_ what is he up to? Given the show of power they had seen last night, it could not be good. They had to find him quickly as well, especially if he was going to continue pursuing Manda as he had clearly shown no disregard for anything human that happened to be in his way when fighting the aforementioned creature.

"I know what you're thinking," Akina's voice spoke up and she turned to see his tired face half-turned towards her, his head resting on the seat, eyes half-closed but fluttering every few moments as if trying to hold onto his life and prevent it from slipping away. "And we will get to the bottom of this, Hime." He added, his voice sounding nonchalant but she could make out the calming tone hidden in there somewhere.

 _That's one thing Akina can do quite well, be soothing when I need him to be._ Hime mentally said to herself.

Yet, she still felt unsure of whether they would be successful in finding Gin. They had to find him soon, andquickly. _First thing to do when we get back was start searching. No time for rest. Gin has to be stopped!_

"Alright, passengers, we're coming up to Sakurashin. About another twenty minutes," echoed the driver's bus from the front. "Make sure you grab all of your bags _and_ clean up any crap on the floor." He added, his tone slightly more demanding on the last few words.

With a light sigh and a quick stretch of her legs, Hime reached down and began to put on her boots, shuddering a little as she felt her socked toes slide against the leather, it feeling so strange yet normal to her. After wearing them constantly for years, she felt a little exposed without them. _Ha!_ Funny how a piece of clothing becomes almost a part of you, your very body. Hell, why not even your soul!

 _Not really much of a Wonder woman, though. Or Raven, or even Rei._

Further down the bus, Ao stretched her arms with clenched fists out in front of her, relishing in the feeling that ran down her body. A good night's sleep was perfect for making her feel a little better. In the seat next to her, Kotoha put her bottle of water in the plastic bag that rest on the floor at her feet (she had bought it just before getting on the bus last night).

"Wonder what'll be in store for us today," she said as she tensed her back a little and stifled a yawn.

"More searching, no doubt," Ao replied, not doing very well in trying to hide the displeasure in her voice. "We can't keep pushing ourselves like this, especially Hime."

Kotoha looked up at her blue haired friend, biting her lower lip as she contemplated how to respond. She knew what Ao was talking about, and it was not just the well-being of her friends. They had all been conflicting with each other more over the last few days since Gin's return. And if it carried on as such, it would probably end up tearing the group apart, or at least leaving them bitter towards one another. Well ... _more_ bitter than they were currently.

Ashe decided to push those thoughts to the back of her mind. There would be a time for that later, not now when they had to stay together. Sakurashin, and now possibly even the whole of Japan, needed them to stay strong and together. Any split in the group would almost certainly hinder any progress they would make against Gin.

"Yeah," was all she replied with and took to looking out the window as the Japanese countryside rolled by.

After about ten minutes, the bus came to a halt in the all-too familiar streets of their hometown. The bus driver got up and did a quick check of the floor and each seat and passenger to make sure they had cleaned up any mess they had made. When all was done, he marched back to the front, opened the door and bade the passengers goodbye.

As they filled off the bus one-by-one, Ao, who stepped down after Kotoha, adjusted her hat so as to keep her ears covered, a bag with an empty sweet wrapper and water bottle in her hand. The events of the last few days had tired her out and with the search for her brother continuing, it was only going to become more so for her.

"Ao!" Akina called from the front of the bus nearby where he and the others had gathered. "C'mon, we're heading back to the office."

"Alright, gimme a sec," she replied, quickly scanning her surroundings to see if there was a bin for her bag. _Back into the fray al-_

 _Wait!_ She paused, feeling something near her. It was … a presence of some kind. A big one! It was something new to her, she could feel the very … energy of the soul radiating off of it, the very fire that burned within. Where was it-oh, from behind her. It was just like … like …

For a moment, her eyes widened as she went into panic mode. _Manda?_

She turned around, expecting to see the form of said creature emerge from behind the buildings across the road, ready to wreak havoc on the city. Instead there was a large man standing before her. A _very_ large man to be precise. He towered over her and everyone else around them, he must have been at least seven feet, maybe even eight or eight and a half. His body held a huge torso that was covered underneath a jacket, and underneath that was a black shirt that looked like it was barely containing his well-defined and muscular torso. Two huge, muscular arms hung down by the hips, the sleeves of the jacket having been ripped off so they were completely uncovered. He had a pair of jeans on and they too looked as if they had been stretched by the sheer size of the man's body; even his shoes looked too small. He looked almost like a stereotypical biker/bodybuilder, minus the tattoos and dark sunglasses.

Ao's eyes followed the body up from the torso and found herself staring into a pair of fiery blue eyes on a long face with short black hair, a small nose and what looked like a lipless mouth. A small stubble was visible around the chin and across the cheeks. Seeing the face made her recollect that the man had been sitting a few rows behind them at the back of the bus. She also remembered that much of the conversation on the bus had fallen silent when he boarded and, having to tuck his arms in, moved sideways to his seat. When he passed, several people watched him go with looks of, largely, surprise or concern, with a few looking like they were going to faint from uncontrolled lust. Other than that, he did not interact with anyone the whole trip so she just forgot about him.

The man held an expression that was mostly blank, yet also quite curious as to why this young woman who barely came up to his chest was looking at him like he was something out of an action film or that he had just dropped from the sky. Then again, given the size of his body, he was probably used it. Heck, Ao was surprised that none of the other women from around the place had been flocking to him and asking him to flex his arms or had tried flirting with him given some of the conversations on the way back here.

"Yes?" he asked her, his voice deep and gentle, yet firm and clear in its no-nonsense demeanour.

Ao shook her head as if to snap herself out of a dream. "I-I'm sorry," she said, momentarily looking away to see if the others were looking over at them but they seemed to have moved away as people began collecting luggage from the bus. "I was just looking for my friends." She added, looking back at him.

His expression did not change, he did not even look annoyed at her. The man looked up and turn his head a few times before stopping on something behind Ao.

"Is that them?" he asked, lightly jerking his thumb over in that direction.

Ao looked behind her and saw through the crowd her friends standing next to a building engaged in a conversation. As she looked, though, Kyosuke turned his head in her direction and formed a confused expression as if to say: _"Who is that you're talking to?"_

"Y-yes, that's them!" Ao replied, giving a small wave and then looking back at the man, meeting his gaze once again. "Um- thank you!" she said quickly. "I'm sorry for disturbing you." she added apologetically.

Again, his face did not change. Rather, he just muttered a reassurance. With that, Ao turned and began walking back to the others, though she paused and glanced back at the man. He watched her go with his fiery blue eyes, the same look on his face, feeling the calm firmness that seemed to sparkle within them. There was definitely something about this man that struck her. It was not his body or potential relationship or whatever. It was something else. She could sense that he was different somehow, yet his aura was quite, no _very_ similar to Manda's.

As she continued on to the others, she could only think about the few words exchanged between them, yet they somehow spoke volumes.

 _I think we're gonna meet again_ she thought to herself. _And with hos I felt, we might end up getting some answers._

* * *

 **Meanwhile, across the city**

With a loud BANG the door to Akiro's apartment opened and said water/human spirit stormed in, hitting his feet into the floor as hard as he could as if to force the anger out of his body. He was pissed off, furious, flamming angry and whatever other word that could be used to describe his current emotional state. _How could he do this?! How can I be stupid enough to let myself be talked into this shit!_

The last thirty six hours had been stressful for him. With him and Gin going to Tokyo and then Gin joining Manda in terrorising Tokyo and battling the mayor and her team, it had been bad enough. Then, as probably the whole world knew by now, Godzilla came into the picture and ended up fighting Manda and Gin was throw off and the latter of the aforementioned monsters fled. Akiro had had to go and find him, which he did lying on a rubbish pile nearby. From there, they had to sneak back to Sakurashin by train and on foot. A few times they were stopped by the police, but it was largely questioning as there had been a few looting and mafia activities in Tokyo following the arrival of Manda and Godzilla. They managed to get away from them with relative ease so, in Gin's eyes at least, there was no harm done.

All the while, though, Akiro was scolding Gin for his erratic and dangerous behaviour that put them and countless civilians at unnecessary risk. _Why would he do that?! He knew that many people who have nothing to do with this were and are going to be caught in the middle, and yet he just didn't give a rat's ass about it!_  
Yet, Gin was unfazed by it all, arguing that they were just 'getting in the way' and 'sacrifices had to be made'

 _What sacrifices?!_ Akiro had thought at the time. If there was one thing he knew about all this, it was that this feud with the mayor and the rest of her team had gone up tenfold with Gin's use of a monster and another arriving to fight it. And if things kept going on like this, it would only get worse. _Much, much_ worse.

"Geez, you wanna wake up the whole apartment complex?!"

Stopping in the kitchen, Akiro looked behind him to see Gin walk through the door, closing the door behind him. His clothes were dusty and torn across the chest a little, but he still held the two spears in his hands, keeping them close as if he were terrified of losing them. He walked over to the sofa and flopped down onto it, sighing heavily. Anyone looking at him would think he was relieving stress like a man coming home from a day's work. But Gin smiled and looked up momentarily at the ceiling as if seeing something divine, the satisfaction washing over him.

"Well that was quite successful," he said in a moderately impressed tone, total indifference to the full extent of the calamity started because of him. "Although, it would be helpful if Manda had not fled." he added, the tone of his voice turning a little sour at these words.

Akiro just stared at him with a look that was could not believe in the slightest what this Yokai spirit was saying: ' _How could you say that? You're acting as if you've tried to pull off some kind of deal and only gotten half of what you wanted! How can you devalue human life so much?'_

Indeed, how could he? Gin had now landed himself and Akiro in _very_ hot water with the summoning of Manda to Japan and the arrival of Godzilla shortly after. He knew that Hime and the others would be after him even more than ever now to try and stop him. Heck, it was entirely possible that the whole city would be after him now, maybe even the entire country.

 _They won't have a lot of success_ he mentally told himself, possibly a reassurance, or possibly what he saw as a simple fact. _The Accursed will join us soon and they won't have the power to stop him. And as for Godzilla … '_ (Gin smiled in a satisfied manner to himself upon remembering said event)' _he's been dealt with. The Otherworld has a new addition. It's only a matter of laying low and waiting now until the time is right._

"Gin," Akiro's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked over at the human/Yokai water spirit.

"Yes, Akiro?" he asked, his tone sounding as if the events of the last two days were no more worth mentioning than what someone had eaten for breakfast that morning.

A pause. "Gin, you do know that this has taken a _really_ bad turn now," he said. "You've brought two monsters-"

"Uh, excuse me, it's _one_ monster, and he is more than capable of taking down the 'mayor' and her little team." Gin interrupted him, speaking with a matter-of-factly tone on the last part of the sentence.

Akiro sighed in frustration. "See, you're obsessed with Godzilla and the mayor! Why can't you just stop this before it gets even more out of hand?" he snapped at him vehemently.

"And I will," Gin replied with a calm, composed demeanour. "Now take a chill pill and don't be a drama queen."

At that, Akiro almost lost it. He marched over to Gin, stopping in front of him, and grabbed him and hoisted him up from the sofa forcefully. Gin was momentarily shocked at this surprise move by Akiro. Normally he was either composed or submissive, and even if he did get angry it was never beyond a bit of 'arguing'. This was a real surprise for him. Gin even found himself admiring it a little. _At last he's grown a damn backbone!_

"Look, Gin!" Akiro snarled at him, his teeth nearly clenched, voice a deadly hiss, a look of fury in his eyes. "You need to wake up and smell the damn coffee! You're _killing_ innocent people, you're terrorising innocent people." He paused to let the words sink in. "And all because you want to get back at Godzilla! You have to stop this!" His voice became a little more pleading but Akiro made sure that the seriousness of it resonated within him.

With a heavy sigh and light shake of his head, Gin gently moved Akiro's hands off his shoulders, meeting his hard gaze with a relaxed expression.

"Okay, Akiro," he said softly, sounding as if he knew he was guilty for what he had done. "I haven't been entirely open with you about my intentions. So sit down-" (he indicated via a nod to the sofa) "-and I'll explain."

"Explain what?!" Akiro exclaimed angrily.

"Just sit down and I'll tell you," Gin replied calmly, already gently pushing Akiro into the sofa before he could continue to argue. "Now, as you know already, Godzilla is a reason as to why I am here. Last night was proof of that and hence why we needed Manda to come and deal with him." he paused for a moment, considering the words that had just passed his lips, and sighed heavily in frustration. "Well, _attempt_ to deal with him anyway. As you saw last night, that did not go entirely to plan."

"But you removed Godzilla from the picture," Akiro pointed out, his voice more angry than attempting to inject any reassurance into Gin. "He's gone now, so we don't need Manda anymore!"

Another sigh. "As I said, he was _a_ reason, not _the._ Please listen, Akiro."

The human/water spirit went to speak but stopped himself, knowing that it was pointless arguing with Gin. No matter how logical or emotional Akiro was with him, he would never listen. The last few days with him planning all of this had more than proved that to him.

"Now, as you pointed out," Gin continued in a manner akin to a lecturer. "Godzilla has been dealt with, yes. He is no longer a threat. However, I have also come here to bring about the fall of the Nana-Gou-"

"What!" Akiro practically shouted, leaping up from his seat as if he was going to attack Gin. "Gin you can't do that! Do you know how dangerous that'll be!" he shouted at him.

"Will you take a damn chill pill!" Gin snapped at him. "You should be thanking me. It's about time that we bring the two worlds together. It'll be better for both." he pointed out as if it were a fact.

Akiro just stared at the Yokai before him, at a complete loss for words. What was he saying! Something like that would not be better for either world. It was would be a disaster, a calamity, a catastrophe! Why was he doing this? Why was he trying to merge the two worlds together despite the dangers such a move could do? Did he not realise the danger?!

"Gin," Akiro said, trying to stay composed and firm but his the tone of voice just echoed with pleading. "You have to look at the facts here; if you bring the two worlds together, you'll bring chaos to all the Yokai in Sakurashin. Do you understand?!" he paused and stared into Gin's eyes, hoping that the message was getting through to him, the gleam of hope lingering within them. "They'll die."

Gin nodded lowly, momentarily looking down at the floor, the weight of what he planned to do plain on his face. He knew it was going to be dangerous, if not for him then for all the other Yokai in the city. Akiro was right; they _would_ die. The sheer number of spirits flowing into this world would cause the balance set down at the beginning to fall apart and, as he stated, those currently here would die.

 _That_ was something Akiro could not bring himself to do.

 _Still …_ Gin thought to himself as he straightened up and looked back up at Akiro, a confident look in his eyes. "It's tough, Akiro, I admit. But we have to do this for the greater good of both our worlds. Besides, it will get rid of those who are currently standing against us. No, Akiro!" (he stopped said spirit from trying to argue against him) "I have made my decision, one that my ancestor should have done a long time ago." he added.

Akiro sighed heavily, knowing it was pointless, hopeless even. Gin had set his sights on something bigger, _much_ bigger than Akiro, or anyone for that matter could have predicted. And the fact that he had helped him get to this stage, stealing a powerful dragon spear and keeping him sheltered from the authorities made him feel sick to his stomach. There was a reason that Gin had said ' _we_ ' instead of ' _I_ '; it was like he thought of Akiro as a sort of partner in crime. _Given what I've had to do so far_ and _what's happened, I can see, and hate, why._ And now more innocents were in the firing line, and it was not a case of if _or_ when they were going to die. It was a simple fact now; they _were_ going to die.

 _Why couldn't he just stop at Godzilla! He was the one he came here for, and now he's gone! Why does he have to do this!_

Maybe … "You do realise that the young man working with the mayor will be a threat." he pointed out in one last effort to get Gin to see some sense.

He just scoffed. "We don't need to worry too much about him." he said, patting one of the spears he held in his hand with his free one as if it were a prize he had just won at a competition, one that he could savour and parade all his triumphs with. "With these bad boys, we'll stop him. He's not a big deal." he added with an air of complacency.

 _He's not gonna be the only one._

 **A/N: Hey fellow FF readers and writers.**

 **I sincerely apologise for the lack of updates over the last few months. A huge workload increase in my job, colleagues falling ill and lack of motivation prevented me from working on FF altogether. Then, as luck would have it, my laptop broke at the end of May so I had to wait until two weeks ago to get it fixed.**

 **But thankfully, it is repaired and working and so I will continue with this FF. My aim is to finish it before the end of the summer.**

 **Thanks for reading this and I apologise once again.**  
 **Take care everyone.**


	12. Running out of time

**Later that day**

If there's one thing that I have discovered, and come to find increasingly eye-rolling, about the humans in this city (it's probably the same for them everywhere) is the fascination they have with someone who is much bigger than them. Everywhere I have gone today, men have given me looks akin to seeing me in my regular form, some of them even backing away a little whenever I pass them. The women's reactions have been more … interesting, even comical at times. Most of them have been ogling at my muscular body, their eyes … - oh what's the human phrase? - popping out of their sockets - that's it! One even had the … _confidence,_ if that is the correct word, to approach me and then quite bluntly say that she wished to _"Have her way with me."_ I'm no expert in their expressions but her body language and the fact that she exposed half of her skin quickly informed me of what her intentions were. Such a thing was, as I mentioned before with humans, eye-rolling and, quite frankly, a waste of time.

Still, I have to say, they are also very interesting to be around. When they are not staring at me like a demigod of sorts, their ways of life, the complexities of which they carry out their daily routines, all of it is … intriguing to say the least. Not simply because of the supposed interactions between the haves and the have nots but because of the love between many people on these streets. And I'm not referring to family members and/or friends but sometimes even strangers. The way that some have the gall, or maybe even curiosity to greet and strike up a conversation with someone completely unknown to them and they could be the very best of friends by the very end of it.

 _Peculiar_ … _If such a thing happened with other creatures my size, then we would be ripping each other limb from limb. Yet with the humans, they act as it is the most normal thing to them. Not all of them but its very existence even to a few is something worth considering._

And then there was this constant strange presence around me that I felt more and more as I travelled through the city. I could not place my finger on it but it is something … different, _very_ different. If I ever came to a human settlement, which was very rare in itself, I would ever feel something like this. It had been especially apparent when I was talking to that girl with a hat earlier when I had gotten off the bus. There had been a strong feeling about her that I could sense, and I felt it eve more so when we had made eye contact, which practically confirmed to me that she was not entirely human. Then again, most of the people here did not seem to be either.

As I continue down the street, ignoring the looks of amazement sent my way, my eyes absorb everything about this new concrete jungle. Every building looked rather impressive, each seeming to be in competition with each other as to who could be the biggest, the shiniest and/or the newest, yet all were testaments to humanity's achievements; their ability to spread, colonize, even conquer whatever piece of land they could reach. Just hours ago, such things would have been like toys to me and now I was lost in the maze of human ingenuity. No wonder they seemed so able to build, and even rebuild so quickly, especially whenever disaster struck. I can recall the great ocean swell that caused much death and destruction somewhere in this land only a few years. The humans had not only survived and prevented an enormous disaster of potentially epic proportions but re-established normality almost as if nothing had happened.

As I reach a huge square section of the road (I had overheard a conversation that this was known as an 'intersection'.) with each side leading to more roads that led to who knows where, I looked up and saw the sun blazing away in the bright blue sky. It was a beautiful day. Too bad I am stuck at this current size or I would be recuperating on a nice sunny island in the pacific far from human observation. _What's the human phrase? I could use a drink and … something else?_

 _Oh no! Am I becoming like a human?_

Well, at least the day is nice for a stroll. I take off my jacket, feeling a bit of a refreshing relief sweep over me, which I accentuate by inhaling a breath of fresh air. Wow! It's rather different when compared to smoke or radiation, and in a good way. Wait!

I mentally hit myself as I roll up the exterior clothing and tuck it under my shoulder. _Now I_ am _becoming like a human. Wonderful!_

I see a great deal of movement all around me. People are passing and crossing the road towards the other side, another line of towering grey and glass structures and others are moving in my direction. Cars have come to a halt on the road to my right, their drivers watching the crowds move as if they are observing something natural.

I may as well join them. It's better than standing here looking like a lost dog.

As I walk towards the other side of the road, I happen to glance to the right for a brief moment to see a second car come to halt behind a first. I turn my head to look ahead of me and have to stop as a smaller man nearly walks into me. The sudden stop makes me drop my coat and he scrambles to pick it up.

"I'm so sorry!" he says, looking up at me, having to crane his neck to do so. He goes to speak further but stops dead, the look of a nervous smile quickly disappearing.

I too find myself looking at him with slight curiosity, as if there is some kind of … how to describe it? Energy? Feeling? Power? It could be any of these but the point is there's something about him that I can sense, something not entirely human. It was his eyes. Even though they were a deep sea blue, covered partially by his brown hair that hung down over his forehead, they seemed to have a fiery touch to them.

He must have realised what I had because he quickly hands me back my coat and then walks past me as fast as he could go, disappearing into the crowd as I try to follow him.

 _Now that is curious_ I say to myself. _There was something about him that was especially strange._

Curiosity gets the better of me as I begin to follow the man,'s direction. After a few seconds, the brown haired person reveals himself as he moves to the side to check a small device in his hand before putting it back into his pocket and continuing on. Making sure to keep well behind him; a good forty to fifty feet. Thankfully, he does not notice me. No doubt he wanted to put as much distance between me and him as possible. Of course, like a bear or any other kind of curious creature, I feel compelled to try and uncover more.

 _So what are you hiding?_ I think to myself.

* * *

"Ao!"

With a sigh, she laid back down on the floor of the ring that stood about half-way up the enormous Nana-Gou, staring at the sky with a longing gaze. She wanted to somehow go up there and disappear from the world, from her problems and troubles. Maybe waiting for them to go would be the best thing. That was what she had been thinking of doing for the past few days. Heck, maybe there was a Yokai somewhere in Sakurashin for that. She should just go and find them now and-

 _No! Don't be stupid! I can't just up and leave everyone, even if Hime is basically making me the black sheep of the group._

That was all she could think of, and had done since she had gotten back this morning. It always what Hime wanted to do! It really annoyed Ao sometimes, which probably explained why her boss had few staff working with her. She knew that the others felt the same about her sometimes too, not because of her ability to hear their thoughts but because of their expressions and the feelings of tension that seemed to rise whenever she entered the room. Obviously recent events were lessening that to a degree but still …

 _I mean, what does she expect me to do?! It's my brother we're talking about here! Not some criminal!_ She mentally said to herself.

The sound of footsteps hitting metal gradually began to grow louder, telling her that Akina was nearing the top of the ladder. _Great!_ Here comes another cliché lecture of _"Oh, we can't give up on the others!" "You have to believe in yourself!"_ Ao sighed heavily,just wanting to be invisible or have some kind of power to make Akina go away.

" _ **She needs to listen to me! She'll probably rebuff me but I need to try."**_ Ao heard by listening into Akina's mind. _Yep, her predictions were coming true._

A few metres behind her, Akina reached the top of the ladder and pulled himself up, looking over at the form of his colleague and friend lying on the metal surface. Seeing her like this did nothing to ease his concern, especially when she had left the 'office' not long after they had returned from Tokyo. Hime had questioned her and Ao responded by saying something halfheartedly such as "Going for a walk." Hime had then gone to argue but Kotoha and Akina had stopped her to stop another fight from occurring. Akina had decided to go out after her but she had been quick to elude him, no doubt knowing he would do something like that, _again_ thanks to her mind-reading abilities.  
"Ao!" he called to her.

She did not respond but instead brought her hand up to her head. She dragged her thumb and finger across her eyebrows, bringing them to the bridge of her nose where they came together in a pinch of frustration. _Please leave me alone!_ Undeterred, or unaware, Akina walked towards her.

"I know you're here to keep an eye on me, Akina," the cat-eared girl told him, her tone one of annoyance, rejection at the presence of her friend (and even this she was beginning to doubt given all that had happened). "I'm not going to leave or disappear, but I can't say it had crossed my mind." she added.

"Ao, c'mon!" he said, walking over and sitting down next to her. "We need to talk about this."

"And make _me_ out to be the bad guy?!" she asked him incredulously, emphasising herself with a tone that highlighted her growing frustration. She sat up and draped her legs over the edge of the platform. "I didn't ask for this, Akina. Hime wouldn't understand how I feel."

He nodded. "You're right, she doesn't. Regardless of how she tries to act like she does."

Now that took her by surprise; then again she had not tried to read his mind in the last few seconds. She gave him a look that was torn between puzzlement and surprise.

"I know, you're thinking that I'm crazy but I'm being honest, Ao." he told her, meeting her gaze. "Even the others can get frustrated with her. But the point is, we all want what's best."

Ao looked away from him back at the city below, taking in the skyline as the sun began to set in the far-off distance. Normally, such a scene would be both breath-taking and stress relieving. But to Ao it was nothing more than uncertainty, a cliff-hanger over what might happen the next day. It left her with questions: _What was going to happen tomorrow? Will the others, or more appropriately Hime decide not to kill Gin? How are we going to stop him before he does something else?_

For none of them did she have the answers.

"Look, Ao, I get that you don't want to see your brother get hurt. I'd feel the same as you. It's just right now nobody knows what to do." Akina told her.

"No, it's because we've only been seeing ourselves and them as black and white!" she replied angrily. "Maybe I'm saying that because we've never had to deal with someone like this before but still! Besides, Hime isn't the one who's fighting her brother."

Akina did not answer her as his cat-eared friend brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hugging them close. He had to admit to himself that Ao was right. She was the one who was experiencing the effects of this dilemma the most; none of them had to fight their own family. He could not in any way feel what she was even to a minute level. Still, the desire within him to try and do what he saw was the right thing wanted him to drive on, to push onwards and to find a way to stop this situation from getting out of hand.

"Akina, I know for a fact you're trying to keep us together, and I'm grateful for it but this time we can't just treat him as another enemy, or an even worse enemy." She said. "Hime needs to see that, and so do the others."

Akina sighed. "You two aren't so different in this case. You both want what's best, but you just don't know how to get to it." he spoke as he glanced down at the ground far below.

"Yes, but I want us to consider _another_ way of dealing with Gin, not just trying to kill him!" Ao exclaimed. "Is that so much to ask?!" No reply and she looked at him. "Akina?!"

She saw him looking at the ground far below and her eyes followed his, quickly growing wide and her mouth fell open.

A shadow stretched out below, its form immense and dark as if it were some kind of living creature. For a moment, the pair thought it was and sprang to their feet, thinking that something had managed to sneak onto the city. From their vantage point, they could see a row of spikes that were just visible on and behind what appeared to be the head. Two huge muscular arms stuck out of the sides of the main part of the shadow. It lumbered from side to side as if it were the projection of the real thing before them. They looked ahead but, to their surprise, saw that it was completely devoid of anything of that size that would cast that kind of shadow. _What the hell?  
_

"Ao, look!" Akina said, pointing down at the ground.

She looked and saw a dot of a man from her perspective atop the walkway around the Nana-Gou. As the sunshine reached him, the shadow of the great beast moved forward, arms swaying a little as he approached them. Now this was peculiar; how could this … this _man_ have the shadow of a huge monster? How could it be? Was he a Yokai? She tried to focus on him with her mind, hoping to pick up something that gave a hint of what he was like.

 _There's something … yeah, it's … rage? Fiery. Power. Uncontrolled maybe. Yet, he isn't letting it loose. No … No, this can't be a Yokai. At least, not a_ real _one, or at least one we've faced before._

"Ao, what do you hear?" Akina asked her with an urgent tone, rising to his feet.

"There's something about him." She replied, not taking her eyes of the form as it approached them. She too got up and muttered: "We need to get down there, fast!"

Without another word, the two ran over to the ladder and were climbing it as fast as they could go.

* * *

Now _this_ was strange. In fact, strange was a word that was insufficient in this case; it was just completely otherworldly, yet extraordinary at the same time. Never have I felt something like this in the human world, and if I am honest I never thought I would. _Well, there is a first time for everything._

The huge cylindrical object that stood before me must have been over a hundred feet tall, maybe around two hundred. Looking off to the left I saw another a few miles away, and the top part of a third to the left of that one. Each had exactly the same height, look and shape. _They were definitely smaller than me in my original form_. I could see a metallic ring around the half-way mark, possibly to enable people to look at the surrounding cityscape and mountains. It was typical of someone of their kind, to be fascinated by something that enabled them to have a chance to gawk at what they perceive as beautiful. Yet, I cannot deny I wouldn't be like that as well if I were in their position.

What drew me to them was the power I could feel emanating from them, like a sort of Pandora's Box, a feeling that I many mysteries were locked within them, yearning for exploration and analysation. Unfortunately, there was no 'key' to them. And I doubted that even in my original form I would be able to topple them. Being small compared to me, there was no question about the potential destructive power they could bring; I could feel it from a mile away (or at least to my original form it was a mile).

 _I need to stop mentioning what I have currently lost. It's probably because of the huge shadow that I (in my original form) was casting over the object like a piece of my past and an outward revelation of my true self to the world, both formed to mock me into oblivion because of my current human form._

As I reached about one hundred feet from it, my eyes fell on two forms climbing down the side of the object using a ladder. For a moment, a feeling of amusement fills me. _Maybe they saw my form and were terrified and trying to run. Ha! At least I still have some of my terrifying charm._ Maybe I should start roaring and …

Wait! I looked over to the figures as they reached the bottom of the ladder and began making their way over in my direction. There was a growing feeling inside of me that told me there was a power in these beings. I looked at them with greater scrutiny and instantly recognised them; the girl in particular.

"Excuse me!" She called, slightly raising her arm to emphasise her attempt at getting my attention.

I turned to face them, quickly reminding myself that the two only came up to my chest, her male friend especially even though he was recognizably taller than her. I had to lower my head considerably to meet their eyes.

"Hello again," I replied to her. "We must stop meeting like this."

She did not reply straight away, though I saw her mouth open but the words got lost in there. Her friend stepped forward and asked rather bluntly: "I think she, or rather we would like to ask who you are?" he told me.

I was rather surprised by his question and found myself unable to answer for a moment or two. A mental slap put my mind back on course and I spoke:

"Well, I think I cannot hide that from you even if I tried. And seeing as this is our second meeting, I think it's time we introduce ourselves." I replied.

The girl spoke up. "Why don't we take you to the mayor?" She suggested. "She'll need to meet someone like you." She added matter-of-factly.

Her friend nodded and, seeing as I felt obliged to join them, and was also partly driven by curiosity, I agreed with them.

* * *

A few moments later, the three were heading back into Sakurashin with Ao and Akina leading the way and their human acquaintance following close behind, wondering who these people would be when he met them.

Unbeknownst to them, standing nearby in an alleyway was Akiro, his deep blue eyes nervously watching them go. He had managed to lose the man on his way here but now he had walked off with two people he hoped to speak with. Damn! He was stuck. There was nothing he could do for the moment for the person, if he dared to even call him that, was something very powerful, he could feel it and he was certain he felt the same way towards him [Akiro]. He could be unpredictable, and most of his kind were.

 _I need to get to them somehow, or at least find a way to stop this._ He mentally said to himself. _Whatever I do, it needs to be quick. We're running out of time!_

 **Author's Note: Hey fellow FF readers and writers.  
**  
 **Now yes, I can understand some of you will be disappointed that this has not been updated for a few months. I have had no time to work on them as I am continuing to work full time now. Rest assured, I have not abandoned this idea but it will just take longer than I expected to finish. I'm hoping to finish working on it by the end of this year or the early stages of the new year.**

 **Take care everyone and I wish you all early holiday happiness.**


	13. Prelude

**Later that day**

If there was one thing that Hime both hated, and liked, though only to an extent, it was surprises. And when Ao, Akina and the man they were with turned up at the door of the office, she could not decide whether to be relieved that Ao and the others had returned home safely, or throttle them for being out when they could have been hunted down by Gin.

 _And who the hell was this man?_ Hime had practically exclaimed to them after they arrived. It had taken Ao and Akina a while to explain how they ran into him and the power she had felt emanating from him too. They had listened to what he had to say with several of the group, namely Hime, interrupting with a question. When they had finished, all eyes fell on the man, whom Kotoha and Kyosuke had requested he sit on the sofa (it buckled a little under his huge size) and Hime had asked him to explain what he was doing here.

With a deep breath, he had told them everything in the space of about 5 minutes; who he was; what he was doing here in Japan and how he had been drawn here to Sakurashin. When he had told them of his real identity, the group were surprised, each of them nervously exchanging glances with one another, and Ao had said "I knew it!" This led to a bombardment of questions, such as why had he come to Japan in the first place, and how he became a human. Again, the man [Godzilla] managed to explain the first one with ease (his answer was he had come to fight Manda as well as being attracted by a mysterious, but familiar power source he had sensed). The second, though, he could not explain beyond seeing a bright green light and then found himself in an alleyway near the sections of the city where he and Manda had fought as a human.

When he was done, it had left the others all silent with shock and no words to spout. A few second had passed silently with all eyes turning to each other and then to 'Godzilla'. Finally, Hime had decided to break the silence and that was currently what they talking about.

"So how do we get him back to normal?" Kyosuke asked, glancing over at 'Godzilla'. "I mean, Gin isn't gonna just hand it over to us."

"Obviously not." Hime replied, glancing up at him and then, with a heavy sigh, looked out of the window at the approaching dark sky, gently adjusting her scarf that covered her neck. "But we still don't know where he is. And because we're facing some difficulties with trying to find him, it could be some time before we do."

'Godzilla' noticed how Ao, who was sitting on a chair next him, shot Hime a dark look, the feeling of hostility coming off her like heat from a flame. _So these are the difficulties she mentioned._ Luckily, Kotoha, who was sitting next to Ao, rested a hand on her arm and gave her a look that begged for control and no further escalation of tension. _Please, Ao. Don't argue back. We need to stick together, even if Hime is being a pain in the ass._ Ao turned her gaze onto her colleague and friend but he saw it soften a fraction and she leaned back into the chair. 'Godzilla' inwardly sighed at this. _In a situation like this, divided we fall is a clear and present problem with these humans._

"So what do we do now?" Kyosuke asked, looking at the others in the hopes that they would have an answer, but the lost expressions that met his eyes, if heads were turned, gave him the clear answer. _What was there to do?_

"If I were Gin, I would stay low and not draw attention to myself. He knows how quickly we almost caught him." Akina spoke up and Hime, not turning away from the window, nodded slightly in agreement.

"Yes, but he would also get someone to do his dirty work for him. Just like the other night." The young mayor informed him. A pause hung in the air, then she turned and walked over to the main desk that was covered with papers around the computers. "I need to phone the police headquarters; tell them to be on the lookout for anything suspicious."

"Mayor Hime?" the deep voice of their guest spoke up, drawing all eyes to him, everyone listening to what he was going to ask by the sheer power of his voice. "Why are you trying to hide something under the scarf?"

She went to speak but a musical tone quickly erupts from seemingly nowhere, filling the air and making the group jump out of their skins. It was Hime's phone on the desk. She picked it up and looked at the screen, seeing the name of the police commissioner across the screen. Why was he calling her? There was no reason for-wait!

Fear gripped her like a vice and she accepted the call.

"Commissioner, what's wrong?!" she asked in a panicked voice, immediately heightening the tension of those around her.

 _"Mayor Hime, we have a situation."_

* * *

 **Ten minutes earlier, downtown Sakurashin**

Hidden in an alleyway between two apartment buildings, a group of three men stood. One was leaning against the wall of the building behind him, hands in his jacket pocket, the hood pulled up and obscuring his face partly. He shifted a little, glancing down at the dirty jeans he was wearing. The second man was quite short and pot-bellied with stick thin arms protruding out of his short sleeved top and a pair of gym trousers covered his legs. He stood in the middle of the alleyway with his back to the entrance. The third was leaning against a huge bin, his long black hair covering his eyes and a tattooed arm resting on the top of the metallic object he was against. He too had a jacket on like one of his companions, but it was dark green and looked newer compared to his jeans that were torn at the knees. They had been waiting here for a few minutes for their 'boss' to get back to them after he had climbed, or rather _jumped_ up to the roof. He had two huge spears in his hand, each with a jade green crystal at the end of each one. They had decided not to ask about them because, frankly, they could care less. **  
**  
The man leaning against the wall kicked a stone with his foot, sighing in annoyance. "I hope he knows what he's doing!" he said in a gruff manner.

"Me too. But he said that we'd be getting rid of the mayor and putting someone useful in her place." His companion against the bin agreed.

"But does it have to involve killing a lot of people?" the third standing with his back to the alleyway entrance asked, a little concern in his voice.

"You don't have to kill anyone, just create enough chaos in the centre to draw her and her gang out and then we can deal with her!" a voice from above spoke up, startling them. A body landed further in down the alleyway, largely obscured by darkness, and stood up; two long spears in the person's hands. Gin emerged into the light, observing the three with a displeased look. "Oh, c'mon, guys! At least show some damn enthusiasm!"

"Well, if you stop fooling around with two stupid spears then we can get on with this plan of yours!" the man leaning against the wall snapped back at him. "What were you doing up there anyway?" he asked impatiently.

"Just sorting out something to assist us for when we get rid of the mayor." Gin replied with a confident expression. He paused and looked at the three before him as if he were a father about to take his unenthusiastic children out for the day. "So, you guys ready to bring about a change?"

The three men looked at each other, uncertainty evident in each of their expressions. Again, though they were eager to find a way to get rid of the mayor, _this_ was something very nerve-racking for them. Why did they need to bring chaos to the entire city? Was it necessary to terrorise, injure or even kill people? The attacks by, to the best of their knowledge, terrorists a few days ago had been shocking enough for them and they had hoped not to see it again. But now Gin was … well, he was practically forcing them to do what the least wanted to do. Not only did it make them uncomfortable, but also suspicious to the man, or rather Yokai's own deluded intentions. He had something else planned and they had a feeling he knew that they knew.

"What about the other guy?" the man standing in the middle of the alley asked. "What's his name …"

"He'll be here soon!" Gin interrupted him with an irritable tone. "Now, let's get a move on. We've got a mayor to get rid of." He added, his tone instantly becoming brighter despite the words meaning doom for those around them.

The three resigned themselves to his decision making and began walking ahead down the alleyway; Gin right behind them. When they had all emerged, they were standing on a road opposite Sakurashin's main square, a large place measuring 100X200 metres. Each side that surrounded it contained buildings varying from apartment complexes to mini skyscrapers. In the square itself was a small garden with four large concrete blocks arranged in the centre as a smaller square with walking space between them (enough for six people to walk hand-in-hand). Each concrete block held a replica of many of the ancient buildings that had once occupied this valley in the distant past. About fifty feet to the left of the concrete block square was a double layered fountain with the base about twenty feet in diameter. The peaceful sound of water coming out of the stone creation was peaceful to the ears, hence probably why about ten people were sitting on the side of the fountain; some listening intently to the water, others holding conversations with their friends. A few small groves of trees dotted the other parts of the square and a ring of lampposts ran around the sides. Scores of people were walking, talking, joking, laughing and having a jovial time. Children ran around playing and squealing, couples walked hand-in-hand. The air was filled with elation. It was a good evening for all.

Gin exhaled with disappointment. "Shame we have to do it now," he commented to the others. "It's such a nice evening. Shame really."

"Well why don't we just leave and not do it at all?" The man in the jacket piped up, his tone clearly indicating that he hoped Gin would agree with him.

Gin rounded on him, his gaze unchanged from the relaxed expression it wore but the man could see his eyes were blazing with a firmness that clearly told him to be silent. "Well, because we won't have another chance to change Sakurashin, and the world. So we best do it now." He turned his head so he was looking towards the square once again, the road before them quiet save for the occasional car that passed them.

"Off you go, boys. Remember, we need to bring the mayor here. So don't be afraid to show yourselves." He instructed them confidently. "Oh!" he suddenly remembered and turned back towards the member of the three dressed in the jacket. "And I'll take the pistol you have okay?" he said. "Can't have you holding back now, can we?" he added with a sickening smile.

With a heavy, annoyed sigh, the man opened his jacket pocket, reached in and pulled out a small 9mm pistol and, with a regretful look, handed it to Gin. The Yokai pocketed it and then nodded his head towards the square. _Off you go!_

The three men looked at each other, each gaze holding the same questioning look. But they obeyed nonetheless and walked across the road into the square. Gin saw the hands of the short sleeved top man light up a fiery colour. The jacket man's fingers turned into claws akin to what one would see on a wolf-man of sorts and the third, his hand outstretched, made an AK-47 materialise out of thin air and he loaded a clip into it, not caring that it was openly visible to everyone around them.

As they approached the centre, the noise around them suddenly dissipated as people caught sight of them. Silence fell for a moment as the men, with one final look at each other, readied themselves.

Gin smiled with satisfaction.

And within moments, the screaming, running and shooting started.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, fifty miles off the southern coast of Japan**

"Captain! Look!"

Rushing over to the window of the destroyer _Hideyoshi,_ Captain Shiro looked out to see the jet black, knobbly form of the snake, a creature that they had been chasing intensely for almost three days, sank beneath the waves, made a left turn and shot back in the direction of the mainland. Other crew members on the deck of the ship, as well as the four others in the battle group, quickly ran to the sides to witness the barely visible shadow of the creature swim away from them.

Seeing this made Shiro's heart race and he began barking out orders to the officers and crewmembers on his ship to immediately begin pursuing the creature. The other vessels began to turn, following Shiro's example.

For Manda, he had been called and was going to answer. Tonight was going to be a wild and eventful night.


	14. The demon hath come

For the gang, they could not get to the affected area fast enough. Within a minute of the police commissioner calling, they had rushed out of the office and piled into someone's pickup truck in a nearby car park. Now, with Kotoha driving, they were speeding down side roads and swerving through traffic. At one-point, Kotoha had taken a turn a little early and only just managed to avoid hitting a group of people on the pavement but luckily they were able to dive out of the way in time; Kotoha shouting an apology to them. 'Godzilla', meanwhile, was holding on for dear life in the back of the truck. Hime and Kyosuke sat next to him, holding onto both him and the car.

 _I'm starting to think that I won't be making it back to my original form before the night is over_ He mentally said to himself.

Next to him, Kyosuke closed his phone. "I've called my sister and told her to take herself and the twins and get them out of here."

Hime nodded. "Good, we don't need to worry about anyone else." She replied.

She went to speak again but was cut off with a yelp as Kotoha turned hard into another road that was, thankfully, mostly devoid of cars. A few pedestrians along the pavement watched them race by in bewilderment but they, along with practically everything else in this street, were a blur. And right now the gang could care less about what the public thought of them. They had to get to the square before the chaos there spread.

"Damn, Kotoha! Are you trying to kill us?!" Akina exclaimed as said driver turned hard into another road, knocking over a bin placed on the corner of the street.

"Sorry but we _are_ trying to get somewhere and save lives!" she replied with a raised voice, possibly out of the adrenaline from the situation and having to focus on the road.

"Well can you please do it _without_ getting us killed?!" Akina told her but she ignored him; rather she accelerated, making Akina and Ao grip their seats and each other tightly in fear that they were going to be thrown out of the truck.

As they went, Hime could only think of the calamity ahead of them. There was no doubt that something like this was going to be the result of Gin being up to no good but it still left her wondering; what was going to be left of the square? Were there going to be a heap of dead bodies, destroyed and damaged vehicles and buildings and survivors struggling to comprehend what had happened? It just made her sick to her stomach, especially when this sort of area was popular with parents and their children.

And then there was the issue with Gin? It was clear the moment he saw them that he would attack them and try and burn them to a crisp. Would he even be in the square or would he be long gone when they got there? And what if he was being accompanied by others? The police had said there was at least one assailant, along with a high possibility of there being more, firing indiscriminately at people in the affected area. How many of them would they have to face? Two? Three? Five? Oh, it was a repeat of what happened the other night!

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the truck came to a sudden halt, almost throwing her out of the back if 'Godzilla' had not grabbed her and held her steady. She thanked him and looked ahead to see a line of cars having come to a halt in the middle of the road. At the end of the street, a few police cars had been set up with their red and blue lights flashing brightly in the largely dim street. Hime and the others looked and could see several figures in front of the police cars ordering people in their direction. Several drivers had their windows rolled down and were either conversing or looking ahead to see what all the commotion was, though they quickly deduced that with people fleeing down the road, one person being assisted by a man and a woman practically hoisting them onto their shoulders, that it was nothing good.

"Damn!" the three in the back heard Kotoha curse loudly as she through the window at them from the driver's seat. "Police have blocked the road. We'll have to find another way."

"No, that'll take too long, we need to split up," the young mayor announced and jumped down onto the ground. "You guys try and find a way around, cut them off at any exits and make sure that everyone gets out. I'll go on this way."

"No, Hime, you can't do that alone! He could be waiting for you!" Akina protested, and Ao and Kotoha also opened their mouths to say something but she cut them off.

"No, guys! We don't have time to argue. We need to make sure _everyone_ gets out of here alive." She told them vehemently, pausing as a car horn further down the road beeped loudly. "Now go!" she added firmly.

Kotoha still refused to give in but the sound of movement from the back of the truck made her stop. 'Godzilla' approached them.

"I will go with her, now go!" he ordered, accentuating it with the deepness of his voice and the blue fire in his eyes.

Kotoha sighed heavily and looked back at the two passengers and then at Kyosuke, who also looked ready to protest but he said nothing. As much as they did not want to admit it, Hime was right here. Everyone going in one way could potentially enable Gin, along with any possible assailants, to escape via another exit from the square. By splitting up, they could, hopefully, stop him from getting away. Of course, Gin could hold his position and let them come to him but leaving all the other routes into the square unguarded was too much of a risk.

"Alright. C'mon, we may as well get going." Akina said.

Kotoha nodded and looked back at the others. "Stay safe!" she told them firmly and looked at 'Godzilla'. "Look after her. She can be a bit reckless." She warned him.

"I'll ensure she doesn't get herself killed." He reassured her as Hime rolled her eyes in an ' _of course Kotoha would say that'_ manner.

With a final good luck, Kotoha turned the truck around and drove back the way they had come and turned right into another corner, leaving the two alone.

"Alright, 'Godzilla'," she said, meting his gaze with a willingness and determination; a hope that they would be able to get through tonight. "Looks like it's just you and me."

"Before we go," he spoke, this time his voice being a bit softer as he took a step closer to Hime, raising a hand and gently lifting the scarf a little from around her neck. Hime looked at him in alarm but one look from his blue eyes showed her serene curiosity. "Why is it you have this around your neck?" he asked her.

She grabbed his hand and gently lifted it from the fabric. "No, don't!" she took a step back, adjusting it. "It's something personal; I don't want you to see it."

"Why?" 'Godzilla' asked.

"Look, we don't have time to discuss it!" Hime snapped at him, turning away so her back was to him. A gunshot sounded out from further down the street and the people who were observing the street instinctively ducked for cover, fearing someone was aiming for them. The noise seemed to alert Hime as if it had awakened her from hibernation. "C'mon, we gotta get moving now!" she urged him, rushing down the road.

'Godzilla' followed. Even though his powerful legs enabling him to keep pace with her, he had to admit she was _running_ and it was beginning to get to him. _I hope this is not a sign of me becoming too old._ People ran past them, some with concerned expressions; others nothing short of completely terrified, telling the two that they had likely fled from the square amidst the chaos and were lucky to get away with their lives. Seeing this seemed to make Hime run even faster and 'Godzilla' had to almost sprint to keep up with her.

When he finally caught up with her, he saw her conversing with a police officer who was standing by one of the cars parked horizontally across the road.

"We've evacuated most of the citizens but there's still a few trapped. So far we've identified three gunmen." He informed her, only to trail off when he saw the huge bulking form of a man coming up to them. "Excuse me, you'll have to turn around, sir! This is an emergency zone. No one is allowed in."

"It's alright, he's with me." Hime cut in, earning a surprised look from the officer and two of his colleagues who were standing nearby. Their eyes went from the mayor to him and then back to her. _Who the hell is he? What is he doing with her?_

"It's a long story, no time to explain. We'll head in and try and stop them." She stated and ordered the police officers to make sure everyone was evacuated and to stop anyone from trying to get in. They understood and the two ran on and turned into the next street.

What they saw before them was something that Hime could only have stayed in the realm of fiction.

The square was a scene of chaos with several of the trees that had once dotted the area now nothing but burning husks, the branches and leaves scattered across the ground. A car with a charred body stood in the middle of the street that led off to the right. The windows of some of the surrounding buildings were smashed and small fires were dotted around the centre of the square, these largely being fuelled by car parts and burning wood.

What stood out though were the bodies. There were none.

 _How can there be an attack of this magnitude and there not be any bodies?_ Hime asked herself as she exchanged a confused glance with 'Godzilla'; he being equally perplexed as her. What's more; where was Gin?

"Stop right there!"

Gunshots ran out again and Hime almost jumped out of her skin when they began but 'Godzilla' did not even flinch as they looked in the direction the sound of the gunfire was coming from. Far away near the other side of the square, two police officers fired at something behind two trees whose branches had been blasted off and were now smouldering wooden remnants. A quick and louder burst of gunfire echoed out and the two officers dived for cover behind a parked car that had been abandoned in a hurry as evidenced by the open doors. One of them partially raised himself and fired another shot out before ducking down quickly. A window on the side of the building behind them shattered, spraying the ground with glass.

Anger gripped Hime's heart. No! No way was a group of hoodlums going to put the lives of her citizens, her people who she had sworn to protect, in danger. Not whilst she was still around!

"C'mon!" she said, rushing into the square with 'Godzilla' right behind her.

When they had made it near one of the concrete blocks in the centre, they crouched down behind it (well Hime did as 'Godzilla' struggled to because of his immense size so he just got on his hands and knees, and even then he was still eye-level with her). The mayor poked her head out and saw, about forty feet away, a man in a dark green jacket crouched by the block next to theirs armed and with an AK-47. He was firing a few bursts at the officers and he shouted something over his shoulder to someone people standing in the direction of the top right corner.

"So there's two of the fiends," Hime muttered, loud enough for 'Godzilla' to hear her. "But the third will be a problem if we don't spot him." She added.

"We must work together to surround them." 'Godzilla' said, looking over the block at the gunman.

Hime nodded. "Alright, I'll go and deal with the other guy over in the corner. If you can, take out this guy, or at least distract him. I just hope the others get here in time."

'Godzilla' nodded in agreement, realising, for a brief moment, about his own mortality. Because he had been turned into a human from his original form, that meant that he was likely going to be as vulnerable as them. If one of these gunmen succeeded in shooting a bullet into his body, then he could meet his end then and there. Thinking about how vulnerable he was in this new body made him feel a host of new feelings. Worry, concern, anxiety. Fear even.

Hime must have seen the worried look in his eyes because she asked him in a concerned manner. "Are you okay?"

He blinked a little and looked up at her. "Yes, yes. I-I'm fine." He cleared his throat, quickly glancing over at the gunmen as he fired another burst of gunfire at the police officers. "Go on. We must stop them. I'll take care of him."

Hime paused for a second, not entirely believing his insistence that he was okay, but she said nothing more. With a tentative glance at the two visible gunmen, she crouch-ran over to the next block, looked again to make sure they had not seen her and then moved out of view behind the block and the now blackened tree trunks.

 _Now it is time for me to make my move_ he mentally said to himself.

He got up and locked his eyes on the gunman akin to a predator finding a suitable target to hunt out in the wild. _This was it._ 'Godzilla' moved out from behind the block and began to march over in the man's direction. Eventually, as would be expected, one of the police officers began shouting at him in surprise and fear, urging him to 'get the hell away from there!'. This attracted the attention of the gunman, who looked and saw this huge man approaching him.

He aimed the gun at 'Godzilla', finger twitching on the trigger. "Stay right there man! Or I'll shoot you!"

'Godzilla' stopped where he was, his expression calm yet firm and his eyes blazing a fiery blue as he stared into the man's frightened face.

"Put the weapon down before someone gets hurt." He told the man.

The man gave a single, nervous chuckle. "Hey look, _I'm_ the one with the gun. So you better shut up and back off!" he raged, though the fear in his voice was evident from a mile away.

'Godzilla' raised both hands as if to say: _"I mean no harm, don't let the situation escalate."_ But he also took a step forward and the man stepped back nervously, hoping to keep the distance between them. Another step forward and the man stepped back again, cursing at 'Godzilla' to stay back but he ignored him and took a third step forward, which, again, made the man retreat.

He let out a yell as his foot struck a branch that had been blown off from the block near them, and he fell to the ground. 'Godzilla' lunged forward and grabbed the man by the neck of his jacket and held him a few feet above the ground, snatching the gun with his other hand. The man cried out to be spared, fearing this huge person was going to crush him or throw him into the ground but 'Godzilla' silenced him with a command.

"HEY!"

The two looked over and saw the second man, who was dressed in a short-sleeved top, looking over at them with a look of fiery anger; it certainly matched the ball of fire he had in his hands.

The short-sleeved man brought back his hand. 'Godzilla', knowing what he was going to do, turned so his back was facing the man, shielding his captive with his body. Something hot struck his back and a brief but searing feeling of pain shot up and down his body. He felt his skin burning and his jacket fall to a heap at his feet from having been burnt to a crisp, the smell of the smoking fabric reaching his nose. With a painful grunt, he looked over his shoulder to see the man with both arms outstretched towards them, hands open and glowing red hot akin to what one would see in a blacksmiths furnace. His face held a murderous and he snarled as he walked towards them: _I'm gonna roast you alive, big guy!_

Something moved near him and the next thing 'Godzilla' knew, the man was on the floor out cold. Hime was standing over him, her hand out flat in front of her as she had struck him in the back of the head. She looked up at 'Godzilla' and smiled. He smiled back.

"Glad I got to him in time," she commented and 'Godzilla' nodded in agreement.

"Mayor Hime!" a voice called out.

Four officers rushed over to them from the nearby street. When they saw this huge man holding one of the assailants above the ground, they were … well, surprised to say the least.

"Mayor, who is this?" one of the officers, no doubt a leading one thanks to the chevrons on his uniform, asked, looking at him warily.

"He's helping us out in finding Gin." She replied, ordering two of them over to take the fire-powered Yokai into custody as the third took the one handed to him by 'Godzilla'. "Where's the last gunman?" she asked, quickly scanning their surrounding in case he decided to try and ambush them.

"He managed to slip away before we could get him; he obviously wasn't too loyal to his associates." The leading officer explained. He went to say more but a series of voices cut them off.

"Hime!"

"Over here, Hime!"

They looked and saw the others approaching them, Kyosuke and Akina holding a third man dressed in a black jacket with his arms behind his back. His face was swollen, and his jacket was dirty and torn slightly. The others had obviously caught up to him and taken him down.

"Ao pointed him out after he ran out in front of the car just as we turned into the street coming here." Kotoha explained to them. "And nice work capturing the other two." She commented approvingly.

The boys handed the third man over to the police. "So now that this is over, only one person remains."

"Yes, but where is he?" 'Godzilla' asked.

"Hey, look! Up there on that building!" Ao exclaimed, pointing to a nearby rooftop of a block of flats.

The group looked at where she was pointing and saw someone standing there near the edge, seemingly facing them. He held an object in each hand and they were flashing a jade green against the night sky as if teasing them, beckoning them to approach like a man taunting his opponent. _Well here I am, assholes! You found me, now come and get me!_

"It's him!" Hime exclaimed. "It's Gin!" She wheeled round to the police. "Keep these men under guard. Guys-" she looked at the others. "-c'mon, we've got him now. It's now or never!"

Hime ran and the others followed behind her, the form of Gin becoming more discernible. Hime's eyes were locked on him. She was the predator and now she was going in for the kill, for the final blow to end this mess. As far as she was concerned, Gin was finished. Screw what he felt, screw what Ao would say, screw what anyone would say! _It's over for you, Gin! You and your devil schemes._

"Kotoha!" Hime called out. "Get us up there!"

Her friend nodded and, with a cry of 'stairs!' a set of them appeared before them, leading up to the roof about one hundred feet above the ground. They raced to the top and found Gin standing to the side, an impressed look on his face.

"Not bad!" he commented, pursing his lips a little. "Though, Koto, baby; next time, try something a little more creative like a jetpack or something!"

"Cut the crap, Gin!" Hime snapped. "It's over, your little attack didn't work. It's over and you're finished!"

He cackled loudly, throwing his head back and taking deep breaths between each laugh. "Oh, you're still the same, Hime." He said after pausing and then chuckling a little more. He paused and took in the face of Ao standing next to Hime.

"And look who's here, how ya doing, sis'?" he asked her cheerfully as if he had not seen her in years. Ao's head sunk low into her shoulders and she backed away a little.

"Leave her alone!" Kyosuke growled at him.

"Ooooohhh, here comes the Oni, all brave and strong!" he said mockingly. "Start looking at the world with realistic eyes you piece of shit!" he paused and scanned the faces of the rest of the group. Kotoha's glare; Hime's gritted teeth and body poised like she was about to throw herself at him; Akina's wary but ready-to-fight expression and -

 _Him._ "Well, well, well … and look who's here!" he said, taking in the form of the huge man with the group. "If it isn't the _King_ himself; the _legendary_ Godzilla! Right here with us! I would say it's an honour but seeing as you're not in your human form, I can't bring myself to say it."

His voice dripped of mockery and insult, and 'Godzilla' just glared at him, his fiery anger coming through thoroughly.

"I have to say, you look like a steroid junkie, it's almost sickening." Gin continued. "But I bet you've had a few of the ladies wanting to jump all over you so think of it as a favour from me."

"Maybe, but if you stay still and allow us to pummel you into oblivion then that would be an even greater favour!" 'Godzilla' replied, taking a couple of steps towards Gin, but he stopped when his enemy raised the spears at them.

"Oh, don't try and threaten me. The real you is in here, 'big boy'!" he warned with a mocking smile. He caught Hime's eyes widening at the sight of the spears. "I have to say, Hime, these _are_ great things and I'm proud you were able to let me borrow yours!"

Hime wanted to speak but Ao beat her. "Look, Gin, please just stop!" she pleaded walking up next to 'Godzilla'. "Just stop all this chaos! Please!"

Gin sighed irritably. "Ao, it's _nothing_ to do with creating chaos or trying to take over the world or anything! It's about Mr ' _I'll be back!'_ here." He indicated at 'Godzilla' with one of the sticks.

Now that caught everyone by surprise, even Godzilla. They all exchanged shocked expressions. What? It was all because of him? What had he done to justify Gin doing any of this?! How could this be because of him?!

"Surprised, I take it." Gin spoke up. "Don't be, this freak has had it coming all along. He's been the target of Enyou Hiizumi since he went to the 'Otherworld'. That battle in the far past with Ghidorah screwed everything up and he wanted you out of the picture for what you did. Oh, you remember that now! Well good, you damn well should!" ('Godzilla's eyes had widened when he had recollected the fierce battle many centuries before). "And since then, I've taken it upon myself to finish what he started. And that's killing you, Godzilla!"

"So why didn't you when you turned me into a human?" the huge human asked forcefully. "Why let me turn into a human?"

"Well I thought I did, but obviously I was wrong. I presumed you were sent back the other night in Tokyo when you were fighting Manda, but you weren't. Instead, I made you into a human but with your original form still breathing away inside of you. Not _exactly_ what I had intended, but oh well. And all of this?" he pointed at the scene below with one of the spears. "All of this was meant to be for them, to draw all of them here so they could witness the end of not only their lives but the Nana-Gou as well."

It was as if they had been struck for a second time by a brick wall. "What?!" the group exclaimed.

"Yep!" Gin smiled. "You see, as we all know, the Nana-Gou act as a bridge between this world and the Otherworld. They keep both worlds stable and prevent the mass death of Yokai here. Well, tonight, will be the last time Sakurashin see's them because it's time for some remodelling."

"Gin, are you insane?!" Kotoha exclaimed, aghast. "You'll kill every Yokai in the city, probably even the whole country!"

He shrugged. "Sacrifices have to be made if it's to stop _him-"_ he pointed a spear at Godzilla as if he were a judge ridiculing a criminal in court. "- from causing anymore chaos and problems, regardless if it's sooner or later. And as for the Yokai being killed, it will help me because it will get rid of all of you." He paused and corrected himself. "Well, except for the boy here." He nodded towards Akina. "But as for you, _mayor_ ," he added a mocking tone on the title word. "You'll be going down with the rest."

Hime's eyes widened again, her heart almost stopping mid-beat. "W-what do you mean?" she said, one hand clutching her scarf.

"It doesn't matter." He told her. "Anyway!" he announced loudly as if he were a sports commentator at the beginning of a match. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time we wrapped up our little story. May I present to you the climactic, well-anticipated, nail-biting moment we've, or really _I've,_ been looking forward to!"

With that, he turned so he was facing the square and, with both spears raised, fired a green ball of energy from each jade crystal out into the air. They flew separately at first but then came together as one, growing to the size of a man quickly. When the ball was over the centre of the square it stopped, and it quickly grew; going from human sized to the scale of a building in a matter of seconds, and it kept going. It grew bigger and bigger, and taller and taller, towering over much of the surrounding infrastructure. And covering almost the entire square. The police and their captured assailants quickly fled into the surrounding streets, unable to comprehend what was happening.

The ball grew until it was about three hundred feet high before stopping and, almost simultaneously, becoming as bright as the sun on a clear day. Everyone present covered their eyes and looked away. What on earth was he doing?

Then, as quick as the light came, it and the green ball of energy disappeared, and the night returned to Sakurashin. For a moment the gang were bewildered. What was the purpose of Gin doing something like that? Was he trying to scare them or intimidate them into fleeing?  
Did he even know what he was doing?

Their questions, however, were answered when their eyes fell on something in the square.

Something big. _Very_ big.

It stood about 300ft tall on two legs that were bent at the knees and between a pair of clawed feet and a heavily built torso; a six pack and noticeable chest muscles visible across its body. Two arms hung down past the hips and almost to the knees and both had four fingered clawed hands on the ends. The arms had muscles akin to what one would find on an athlete. The skin was blood red and glowed in the light of the fires around its feet. But the face was incredibly terrifying. It was like that of Godzilla's with a visible snout, a pair of closed eyes (which was probably a good thing considering how terrifying the thing looked) on the front of the face, a half-circle shaped mouth that was filled with countless razor-sharp teeth and a pair of horns on the crest of the skull. A line of spikes ran down the back of the head to the bottom of the neck.

The group stared at the creature with unblinking eyes. All of them wore terrified expressions; even 'Godzilla' looked shocked. Then again, this was the first time he was seeing another living creature bigger than him, and the fact that he was a human did not help shake off the fear. Unlike Godzilla, this creature had no tail, but this was only an external difference. What else it could do they did not know but it was obvious to them that they were going to discover it _very soon._

"I present to you the one who will bring in the new age of Sakurashin and Yokai." Gin said with delight. "This is the so-called 'Accursed Demon' from the Otherworld. Meet Dagarkra."

As if on cue, the creature opened his eyes and glared at its surroundings with a look of fury and hatred. They were a deep red and clearly told anyone looking at him that his intentions were nothing short of aggressive and destructive.

With seemingly no effort, it let out a roar that sent chills down their spines and their blood run cold.

 _ **HHHHHHHYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!**_


	15. It's gonna be hell

For the group, it was as if hell had opened and the devil himself had emerged and had suddenly declared his presence. The roar made their blood run cold and their skin tingle to the point where they thought it would begin to creep across the floor to get away from the beast. Even 'Godzilla' found himself backing away at the sheer sight of this thing. Now he _really_ understood how humans and anything smaller than him felt when they saw something huge, and alive.

When the beast (Dagarkra) finished its roar, it looked over towards the building where it could something powerful. Its red, glaring eyes fell on the form of Gin who, with one swift motion of arm, pointed one of the spears at the group and then towards one of the Nana-Gou in the distance about a mile or two away. _One command, Dagarkra; kill and destroy!_

Like a bull that had caught sight of a red cape, Dagarkra advanced towards the group's location; arm raised and hand curled into a fist.

"SCATTER!" Hime screamed.

The group dispersed as quickly as they could. Kyosuke grabbed Ao and Kotoha and leapt from the rooftop to the building next to theirs; it being about forty feet taller but not out of reach of the monster. Akina, Hime and 'Godzilla', meanwhile, dived out of the way as the fist came down. With a thunderous CRASH, the front half of the building was pulverised into a pile of ruin. The three were thrown into the air and almost over the edge if 'Godzilla's had not grabbed Hime, who in turn grabbed Akina. As they paused to recover, a large shadow fell over them and they looked to see the huge form of Dagarkra; his face looking down at them; eyes the colour of molten lava and teeth gritted as if he were furious at them for having wronged or harmed him in the past. _You little meat puppets! I'll rip you to shreds._

Something exploded on the side of its head and it let out a roar and staggered a little into the courtyard. Its feet swiped several cars out of the road and crushed a few of the burned husks that had been trees to dust. For a moment, they were elated! It looked as if the creature was badly injured. Maybe they could beat him. Akina pointed out the others on the neighbouring rooftop. Kyosuke hands were surrounded by a red energy field and Kotoha was armed with a gun. They sure did come prepared.

Their enthusiasm was short lived, however, when a growl of anger sounded out from nearby. They looked and saw Dagarkra facing Kyosuke's group with an even angrier expression. His fists were clenched and his breaths were heavy. What stood out most of all to the group, and anyone else who happened to be watching the scene unfold, was that the place where he had been struck was completely devoid of any injury.

 _Oh no!_ Hime mentally said to herself in horror. _He's gonna be_ very _hard to take down._

With another roar, the blood red skinned creature charged towards the building and, with one swing of its fist, obliterated the top corner of the neighbouring building. Dust and smoke spewed out from the impact zone. Another blow to the building by the creature sent a wave of rubble into the air to scatter into the surrounding neighbourhoods.

"Oh no!" Akina gasped as 'Godzilla' looked on in shock, completely silent.

A cry of "Guys!" sounded out as Hime shot to her feet, her face contorted into a look that was torn between shock, fear and anger. No! No, they had to be okay! They couldn't be dead! They _had_ to have gotten out of there in time! They had to be alive, right?! "Guys!" she cried out again, hoping for a reply.

"Hime!" 'Godzilla' shushed her, grabbing her by the arms.

But it was too late. Her shouting drew the attention of Dagarkra, who glared down at them from his great height akin to a man who had seen an insect crawling across the floor; a living thing that was beneath him both literally and figuratively and despised it with every vein in his body and sought to exterminate its existence. He charged again. 'Godzilla', barely had time to yell out before a swift kick sent the remaining half of their building crumbling to a pile at his feet. As with the previous structure, pieces of rubble were flung into the surroundings buildings or across far distances, only to land with a crash that caused mayhem, further destruction and death those unfortunate to be in the way.

Dagarkra paused as it observed the city around it, seeing the pillars of smoke rising above the skyline and the distant sounds of sirens and the shouting of those on the ground. The power he felt; the rush of adrenaline was like a new life for him. It felt wonderful, spectacular, invigorating as it coursed through his veins. The fact that this world was something where humans and Yokai lived practically side by side meant nothing; it was not even worth a mention in the manner that a person might read the newspaper and find something of only momentary interest. _This …_ This was enough for him. And nothing, no humans or werewolves or oni or anything would stop him.

And now, his eyes looking up, he set his sights on the towering Nana-Gou in the distance. There was the target, the prize, the intention of his visit, or rather the first.

He set off, ploughing through the buildings in his wake, uncaring for the chaos that it created below or in the area around him as he advanced. He tore a hole in a building and pushed the two remains over with his hands. Another he severed in two with a simple flick of his arm. Waves of rubble were tossed across the skyline and sent panicked civilians screaming and/or diving for cover. But he did not care and he continued to advance, flattening huge clumps of parked or mostly abandoned vehicles, along with those unfortunate to still be in the way.

Nearby, Gin watched with a satisfied smile. Finally, it was done! After all this time, all this planning and constant moving and battling with the mayor, her group and now the human 'Godzilla', he had accomplished his goal. All he had to do now was wait. Even as Dagarkra moved in the direction of the first Nana-Gou, he found himself bounding after him as if said creature was a celebrity of sorts and he [Gin] was an eager fan hoping to catch up to him.

 _And he's even kind enough to leave his autograph, if that's what you can call it, with the rest of the city_ he mentally joked with himself.

Soon it would be done. Sakurashin, and then everything beyond, would be finished. And with his opponents now out of the game, no one could stop them.

* * *

"Guys!"

Kotoha, with Kyosuke, Ao and two police officers in two, rushed over to what remained of the building, now nothing but a pile of rubble. They had been thrown across the square by Dagarkra's swipe, though luckily Kotoha had managed to conjure up a huge inflatable mat which she and Ao had landed safely on. Kyosuke had been less fortunate and had collided with a wall just next to a window that had been smashed by a stray bullet during the earlier calamity. Luckily, he had managed to grab onto it and steadied himself a bit before easing himself back down to the ground. They were too late to do anything about Dagarkra, who was already tearing his way through the city in the direction of the first Nana-Gou. And right now, as selfish as it seemed, they did not care enough to go after him right now. Their first priority was to find out if the rest of the group was okay.

"Guys?!" Ao called out when they reached the pile of rubble, her voice filled with worry. They had to be okay! They _had_ to be, right? They had survived everything else so far! "Guys!" she called out again.

A loud, deep grunt sounded out from somewhere under the pile of rubble, followed almost immediately by one of the larger pieces of what had been a wall moving. Another, more forceful grunt emanated and the rubble was forced up and thrown to the side; Kotoha moving out of the way as it fell near where she had been standing. A large man emerged, paused and turned and held out his hands to pull up two people.

"Hime! Akina!" Kotoha exclaimed happily. "You're alive!"

"Only just!" 'Godzilla' commented as he helped them out of the hole to the ground; Ao grabbing Hime's hand and Kyosuke taking Akina by the arm. "Luckily my body shielded them from most of the impact of the rubble."

Silence fell as the group gathered themselves together; all eyes falling on Hime, waiting for her orders. But there were none. Their leader, their mayor, their friend, one who was always so ready and willing to act, especially when it concerned the safety of the city and its people, was white faced and tight lipped, her eyes wide and staring ahead, lost for purpose as if she were a being that had appeared from another dimension and did not know what to do. Even when Akina spoke to her, she just looked at him with the same expression.

"Hime!" 'Godzilla' spoke up heavily, making her jump as she and the others looked at him. "Look," he continued, softening his voice, his blue eyes glowing with comfort against her red. "You must stay calm and not let your fear take hold of you."

She did not reply but just clasped her scarf with her hands and tightened it a little, looking down at the floor. One look at her face told them everything. _I've failed, I've screwed up. I was supposed to protect this city and now there's a gigantic monster running around and he's going to level it and kill everyone in it… I've failed my grandmother, myself and the Dragon._

"Hime!" Kotoha snapped her out of her trance and she looked up at her Yokai friend. "Look, if it's too much, we can get you out of here. The police can take you away and we'll deal with this."

"What's the point?" she muttered in a resigned manner. "We can't stop him; you saw _what_ he just did."

"But we can't just leave and let him and Gin tear down the city!" Akina said as he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him, looking deeply into her eyes with a gleam that told her he was serious and for her to listen. "Look, Hime, right now it's tough. We're all overwhelmed like you. But don't think you've failed. We just need to find a way to beat him, and right now we need that strong leader we know you are. We need the Hime that we know won't give up."

He paused to let that sink in. Somehow, despite the current situation, she felt his words resonate within her like the gift of life. Yes! Yes, he was right. She could not just give up! She knew that she had made some mistakes and had not dealt with it sooner, but she had still persisted this far, right? She had not given up yet. Why now?

Determination gripped her and her face turned to its more serious expression. Upon seeing it, the rest of the group smiled (rather ironic considering their past experience and feelings of when Hime was like this).

"You're right!" Hime announced, straightening herself up and looking at all of them. Her eyes fell on the police. "Officers, I need you to issue an evacuation, get everyone out of Sakurashin as fast as you can-" he paused as a distant roar and explosion made them all turn their heads in its direction. "-and get the army here if they haven't been warned already."

The two officers exchanged looks that bordered on them throwing down their badges and joining the soon to be enormous exodus of people fleeing from the city. But their sense of duty, or the intimidating look Hime was giving them, made them reconsider. They nodded and rushed off to carry out their duty, hoping to be out of the fighting themselves.

Hime turned back to the others. "We'll need to split up if we're going to deal with this thing. Kotoha, Kyosuke, and Akina; you guys are gonna go after Dagarkra. Do whatever it takes to slow him down and stop him from destroying the Nana-Gou. If he tears them down, we're _all_ dead. Good luck."

The three nodded, realising just how severe the situation wads for them. The very fate of their city was in their hands. With a final good luck, they rushed off in the direction of the creature, knowing that

"Godzilla; you, me and Ao are gonna go after Gin. If we can distract him or take him down, we might be able to stop Dagarkra."

"There is a way, but we will need to get to his spears." 'Godzilla' informed her, causing a surprised look to flash across her and Ao's faces for a brief moment, something he noticed. "It will be risky, whatever way it goes, but it will be the only way to defeat them."

Hime nodded, looking down at the ground and then at the surrounding city. As hard as it was to admit, she knew that 'Godzilla's' way of dealing with these two would no doubt lead to the destruction of much of Sakurashin. Everything, literally everything that her ancestors and the countless other's ancestors had toiled, sweated and sometimes fought to create would likely be reduced to rubble by morning.

 _If_ they were still alive by then. Anything could happen to them by then.

"Ao." Hime spoke up, turning to face her cat eared friend. "I want you to know that I never meant harm or scorn for you because of what happened to Gin, or what he's done." A pause hung between them as she tried to consider what else to say. "I only wanted to protect the city and its people, including you all."

Ao did not reply but just gave a slight nod. "I know." She replied in a voice barely above a whisper. "I can't say I would have done the same but I understand."

A distant boom echoed out from somewhere in the direction of the Nana-Gou, followed by the distant, less noticeable sound of gunshots. 'Godzilla', who had been standing nearby and watching the two women converse, looked in the direction of the noises and then back at them with a look that said: _"We better get moving."_

"Alright, let's go get Gin." Hime said, and with that they headed off into the carnage, hoping against hope that they would prevail.

 _We'll need the luck of the Dragon on our side_ Hime thought to herself.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, on the southern coast of Japan**

Destruction. That was all that greeted the eyes of the rescue workers as they arrived into what remained of the village. Buildings had been squashed flat like pancakes, cars thrown on their side, trees snapped or flattened. What really turned the stomachs of many people was the sight of bodies unfortunate enough to have been caught up in the disaster. Men and women; young and old; boys and girls; adult and children, all of them had been caught up in the disaster. No mercy or distinguishing in anyway.

The truck filled with rescue workers came to a stop near the side of the trench and those inside got out. One of them, an average height man with short black hair covered by a white helmet, green eyes and a rail thin body dressed in a large orange and white uniform with black boots, gazed at the largely devastated surroundings of what had been the village neighbouring his. Many of his friends and even an ex of his lived here. Whether they were alive now, he did not know but deep down he hoped they were okay.

"Yoshi! C'mon!" a voice commanded him.

With a heavy sigh at the very gruesome likelihood of finding the remains of a person, he walked ahead with the rest of the group into the village. They passed a few intact buildings but the closer they got to the designated 'trench zone' that was left behind, they saw more destruction, some with roofs missing, others with cars that had been launched or dropped onto the gardens or through the walls. Other rescue workers had already arrived here but they were barely speaking, largely just to give orders or say that they had found 'one' (that was the term they were using for someone who had been crushed) and called for them to be taken away.

Seeing all this destruction made Yoshi think of the devastation he had seen in Sendai in 2011 when the tsunami hit. Everything had been literally torn apart and swept away by the power of the sea, revealing the aftermath to be a heap of twisted wood, steel and body parts. It had been quick and brutal then and the same thing had happened here. From what he could gather, everything had been fine one moment; then the next something had come ashore and was tearing its way through the village and into the hills at the back. It all happened so fast that the inhabitants barely had time to process what was going on before it was over.

 _Poor people_ he thought sadly as he observed two workers emerge from a building carrying a stretcher with a sheet covering something. No doubt a body. _They had no chance._

As his group came to a halt near the trench about fifty feet ahead of them, a series of loud noises filled the air like thunder. All eyes looked up to see about twelve army helicopters, their metallic frames almost camouflaged against the night sky, swoop overhead and disappear over the hills. A few people, including Yoshi, turned their heads in the direction of where they came from and saw several huge shapes a few miles away in the sea.

"Damn!" Yoshi muttered to himself. "Wherever they're going, it's gonna be hell."


	16. Battle of Sakurashin P1

The helicopter jolted as it ascended further, the noise of its rotors resonating like thunder in the night sky. The crew members sitting near the open doors looked out at the other army helicopters scattered several tens of metres away from theirs, their blackened hulks almost impossible to spot were it not for the blinking lights near the rear rotor and across the front and sides. There were twelve of them overall. Some of them had guns fitted to the wings, others were only armed with a single large cannon below the front and pointing ahead.

Inside, corporal Atsuo sat strapped into his chair towards the right door of the vehicle, eyes shifting from the other helicopters to the ground far below every few moments. It was as if the world had been consumed by darkness; like hell had burst from the ground. Everything below them, save for the occasional lights from a tiny village or the isolated house, was pitch black. They had left the coastal cities some time ago and were now heading inland towards a town called Sakurashin. He did not have all the facts as to why but there was something going on there that had ordered a general evacuation being given out to the city and the surrounding areas.

 _Probably one of these Yokai assholes causing trouble!_ He thought angrily as he roughly tugged at his gloved hand as if readying for a fist fight.

It was true, dear readers. Atsuo had no time or respect for the Yokai. To him, they were something lesser than humans; sometimes even insects were better in his eyes. _At least they didn't try and show everyone how great they were. They kept and keep to themselves! Why we haven't gotten rid of them, or at least done a 1950s and '60s segregation against them, I don't know._

As shocking as it was, his views were common among people from his part of Tokyo, namely the Shinjuku District. His experiences of them had been largely those who were working in the small crime gangs or larger, more obscure syndicates throughout the city. His family lived near one of the major hotspots of their criminal activities and, thus, were never short of stories to tell him when he was on leave. ' _Oh, did you hear about the werewolf mobster arrested last week._ And ' _Oh, Mr so-and-so was beaten up by two gang members, and he swore down it was a Yokai and a human._ Oh, it only made his blood boil when he thought of these things. _Why can't Yokai do something about these guys?_

Of course, he had been criticised by many people for his views. They had said this his experiences were based only on a small bubble and were not a general representation of Yokai. Many pointed to Sakurashin, a place where Yokai and humans lived side-by-side in, almost, universal peace as an example of his opinion being wrong. Atsuo accepted this but still thought it ridiculous and believed it was only a matter of time until any existing tensions boiled over into full-blown rioting, possibly even conflict. He had told himself that the mayor of this town was in a bad position for enabling such a thing to happen.

 _I feel sorry for her._ He had once told himself _She's digging her own grave; most of it being prepared by her predecessors._

To him, such a thing as human/Yokai coexistence would only lead to trouble. Trouble that would involve the army being called in; a necessary prerequisite to the maintenance of peace.

Atsuo's hand momentarily drifted to his pistol in his uniform pocket. _That would mean force …_

 _KRGZ! "We've got cont-" KRGZ!_

All ears and eyes immediately turned to their radios as it suddenly came alive with static, panicked voices and … gunfire. Why was there gunfire? Had another regiment made it to Sakurashin before them? Or was it even the Yokai up to no good again?

 _"Shoot that damn thing!"_ A voice cried out, followed by a chorus of screams and even more, much louder blasts of weapons, both light and heavy, in the background.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Atsuo wondered.

One of the voices of the crewmembers called out for people to look below and, like children eager to see something they wanted to see, everyone looked or rushed to the entrances to look down.

Far below, fires dotted the landscape, the smoke rising visibly into the sky. An explosion erupted near what Atsuo thought was a forest covered hill. He could see tracer rounds flying out from various areas below them, all going to the same spot that kept moving in the same direction as them, but he could not see what it was exactly. It appeared to be black as knight. He listened into his radio again and heard more screaming and the shouting of orders and … _a loud roar?_

 _Wait!_ A roar? Was this thing what was crashing through the coastline earlier on this evening? In fact, could it even be one of these creatures that had landed in Tokyo just a few days prior.

 _"Heads up, Sakurashin dead ahead. ETA 9 minutes!"_ came the voice of the pilot through the radio.

Once again, all eyes turned, this time looking ahead. Atsuo looked in the same direction and could not believe his eyes.

A few miles before them, nestled between the blackened hills, was a sea of lights, some brighter than others but no less visible. He could see roads leading to and from the place, and they were covered with pairs of headlights that he knew were cars, trucks or other vehicles; all of them jam-packed and heading in the same direction. Away from the city. Anyone unfamiliar with the situation would look and wonder why there seemed to be a mass evacuation. Atsuo even mentally asked himself: what kind of emergency would need to call for the population of an entire city to leave the city?

He got his answer when he looked ahead and saw, through the steadily growing pillars of smoke and what appeared to be a line of fires that led through the city, the reason why.

* * *

"WATCH OUT!"

Kyosuke dived out of the way as a large red fist slammed into the building he was on, punching a big hole into the roof. As he looked up, he saw the hellish eyes of Dagarkra glaring down at him akin to a human frustrated at trying to kill a bothersome insect. With a snarl, he swung at him with his other hand, shearing off part of the front as Kyosuke jumped onto the shorter neighbouring building but had to move as an uppercut from the enormous creature tore off most of the front, spilling out a wall of rubble and the contents of the structure to the ground. With a satisfied growl, the creature turned and marched on towards its original objective, its feet crushing flat countless vehicles and those unfortunate to remain there as it went. Screams of the dying and terrified filled the air as it advanced but Dagarkra paid it no heed. To him these were just insects; worthless parasites that needed no sympathy or attention. They were just in the way.

Something whooshed past its face, startling the gigantic beast and almost making it fall over. His head turned in its direction. BANG! Something exploded on the face and it let out a deafening roar as it staggered back, clutching his eye. On the ground and in the surroundings buildings, people looked on with a glimmer of hope. Yes! It had been hurt! It was not invincible!

Dagarkra looked up, his eyes falling on a skyscraper that was just below eye level for him, particularly two tiny human figures. One of them had hold of something. What it was he did not know but he felt anger rising within him. How dare they! How dare those parasites do _that_ to him!

* * *

"I think we got him!" Kotoha said in a relieved tone as she lowered a huge bazooka. Akina, who stood next to her, held one too, curtesy of said female Yokai.

"Yeah!" he replied as he and Kotoha exchanged glances; pleased that this thing was not invincible. _Finally, we can start taking it down and-_

The creature looked up at them, quickly wiping away their victorious looks. Even though its form was slender and nowhere near as muscular as Godzilla's had been when he was in his monster form a few days ago, this thing was still very intimidating to them. It stood up and growled a low but bone chilling growl that would have made the bravest of men quake with fear. Teeth gritted, hands clenched and shaking, and a look in its eyes told them that it was not down. And it certainly was not out!

Akina gulped as Kotoha muttered: "I think we just pissed it off!"

After a moment's pause, Dagarkra charged wildly like a wild animal, eyes burning with fury. There was one thing and one thing only on its mind right now. Crush and/or rip those insects limb-from-limb. Kotoha and Akina instinctively shielded their heads with their arms as if it would protect them, waiting for blow that would either crush them into paste or send them flying and then falling to their deaths, no doubt to be among the many that had already happened and would happen tonight.

Akina expected to be thrown through the air, his body mixing with a cloud of rubble and then becoming a victory of gravity as he would plummet towards the earth and land on something and quickly snuff out his life. Instead, a pair of hands grabbed him and hoisted him into the air. He opened his eyes but the world spun. Everything was a blur. He heard Kotoha yelp. _Was she okay?_ He tried to look back but saw an eruption of dust fill his peripheral vision, followed by a roar of anger and snort as though a giant bull had just smashed the structure to pieces.

He felt himself land on a hard surface and someone set down next to him.

"Yae!" he exclaimed with happiness.

The nun set herself down beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked him and he replied with an affirmative as Kotoha and a young boy, who was holding the young woman in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other, landed next to them. "Looks like me and Yuhi got here just in time." She said.

Kotoha nodded and adjusted her glasses. "Yeah, thanks." She told them.

The young boy sucked on the cigarette and blew out a ring of smoke. "Not bad, eh?!" he said with a smug smirk. "Usually it's you guys who are doing the saving. Well have no fear, we're gonna help ya take that thing out." He added, puffing again on the cigarette.

Kotoha glared at him. "Hey, we managed to hit it with a rocket! He's not invincible!" she snapped back.

"Uh guys?" Akina warned as he and Yae stepped back, their faces full of terror.

A growl and something big made Kotoha and Yuhi look back in the direction of the building they had been on to see a huge form rising out of the dust and smoke as if it were emerging from hell – not that the group denied something like that. Kotoha gulped and glanced down at Yuhi, who, for the first time in her life, looked genuinely afraid as he dropped his cigarette and muttered a swear word under his breath.

 _God, what would your sister say? Probably nothing_! She thought to herself, knowing their mishaps and his rather laid-back attitude.

Dagarkra shook the dust off him and began surveying the damage. He had taken the skyscraper and part of the building behind it down with his charge. Both buildings were now a pile of rubble and anyone who happened to be at street level was likely to be suffocating in the dust cloud. But he did not care. He waved his arm, removing the dust cloud that obscured his vision of below.

What! Nothing?! He growled in frustration! How could there be nothing?! He had ploughed right into the building; surely nothing could have survived it! Maybe there were buried under the rubble. If they were, then he was going to smash them into a pulp. Their bones would be crushed into dust, their organs squished, and their lives obliterated. Nothing would remain!

Movement to his right drew his attention and, to his fury, he saw them! There were two more people with them and he could sense that they had power emanating from them. No doubt they were Yokai. _They_ had saved those two who had fired the rockets at him. Then they would pay just as dearly as the other two.

Dagarkra turned his body towards them, leaning over them to be as terrifying as possible so that his boy would fill their entire peripheral vision. It had its effect because the four backed away further towards the back corner of the rooftop. He saw the woman dressed in strange clothing take out two long katana swords. He almost cackled with mocking laughter. _Those_ things cutting him?! How pathetic! He raised his fist, determined to turn them into a paste on the concrete roof.

He was about to strike when a chorus of loud sounds reverberated through the air and were coming towards them. Dagarkra looked up; his red eyes falling on a group of small, black, flying objects coming towards them. Some of them had lights and were pointing towards him. He stared at them with a mixture of shock and annoyance. Had they come to fight him?! It would only slow him down!

He did not wait for them to do anything. With a snarl, he swung his fist up at a helicopter as it attempted to fly past him, catching the craft in the middle and sending it spinning into a building. It exploded into a ball of fire, the sound blocked out only by the noise of glass shattering and the craft plummeting to the street. The glow of the fire made Dagarkra's own red eyes light up as if revealing the satisfaction in them at having taken down one of the craft. It had been so easy! So fragile.

And why stop there? He turned back and, now ignoring the group, focused on another helicopter that banked right away from him as it flew over his left. _Not fast enough_! Dagarkra slapped off its rear rotor, jolting it wildly and sending two of the crew members screaming to their deaths. The craft's alarm system began to bleep loudly as the pilot struggled to keep it airborne. It was in vain for the main rotors clipped the side of a concrete building and were torn apart. It fell and crashed into the ground, splitting in two and flattening three unoccupied trucks.

All of this went unnoticed as Dagarkra continued to tear down the other helicopters, which, by now, were starting to fire on him. One hovering above a street about a hundred feet away fired a missile at the giant red beast, striking him in the side. He roared in pain and, turning towards him, charged full blast towards him, flattening several buildings in the process. The pilot tried to move away but he was not quick enough. Dagarkra grabbed the craft, spun round and tossed it like a ball at a second helicopter that was passing nearby with a machine gun on the side aimed right at him. Both craft exploded into a fireball, earning a grin from the creature that revealed his sharp and deadly looking teeth. Nothing could stop him! These humans and their machines were weak, _toys_ even. How they hoped to stand against him he had no idea.

* * *

Atsuo and the others in the main part of the helicopter looked on in total disbelief. Never had they thought _this_ of all things would happen. Just like that, four of their helicopters and their crews had been downed by this creature as if it was nothing. They could not believe it.

 _How many of my friends were on there?_ A feeling of anger gripped him, coursing through his veins like some sort of life giving energy, pushing him to take on this creature before it did anymore damage to the city and its human inhabitants _Screw the Yokai, this thing needs to die!_

The craft suddenly tipped and fell sideways, almost throwing two standing soldiers out of the open door of the other side if they had not grabbed onto something or had been grabbed by their comrades sitting down. Something large fell in the place where they had just been and tore off the front of a small building below them, just missing the helicopter. Atsuo struggled to pull himself up, trying to stay upright as the helicopter shook wildly. The world outside rushed past like a blur. Alarms began to sound. _  
_

" _Everyone, hang on!"_

The last thing Atsuo heard were the screams of the pilot and a fellow crew member as the front of an apartment building filled his vision.

* * *

Dagarkra grinned a small but nasty grin as he saw the human craft impact on the front of the structure, shattering into a thousand burning pieces. Anyone on the ground was likely to be crushed by rubble and burning metallic remains – not that any of this really mattered to him. He looked around to see some of the human vehicles retreating, their dark shapes flying away as fast as they could go into the night sky. _Cowards! No backbone!_

But they had distracted him long enough. He turned his head back to the Nana-Gou. _No more distractions!_ As before, he moved forward with an uncaring unwavering drive to get there. With a swipe of his hand, he pushed over a building, not even giving it a second glance as it crumbled into dust. Another he ploughed through, scattering rubble over a wide area. Cries erupted from below but he paid them no heed.

After a few moments, he emerged from the now smoking streets, hands clenched into fists as he approached the enormous Nana-Gou that stood about his toned midsection. A few people who had taken refuge on the metallic ring around the middle of the structure, screamed in terror. He glared down at them, displaying his sharp teeth threateningly. He watched as two of the minuscule beings fled towards the ladder in a desperate but futile attempt to escape. _Pitiful!_

Dagarkra grabbed the sides of the tall structure and dug his claws into it, rocking it and throwing those on the platform to the floor (one of the two who had reached the ladder was thrown off to his doom). Then, with only part of his strength and one big movement of his arms, he ripped the structure in two and dropped the crumbling pieces on the ground.

 _One down. And several to go! Destroy them and open the realms!_

As he turned his head back to look out over the city, his red eyes falling on the second Nana-Gou tower far off in the distance a few miles away. _That_ was his next target and he would get there, no matter what got in is way.

Dagarkra promptly turned and moved off in that direction. Anyone who happened to be watching his movements now would now that only more death and destruction would follow before the night was over.

 **Authors note: Hey fellow FF readers and writers. Just as a note to a reviewer, Dagarkra is my own creation. He is nothing to do with the anime.  
**


	17. Battle of Sakurashin P2

Smoke and fire; fear and death. All those things and what were similar to those things surrounded Gin as he stood upon the roof of an apartment building, eyes focusing on the huge shape of Dagarkra as said creature began to move back into the city; its powerful legs tearing through a building and causing the remains to collapse into dust. To the gigantic creature, it was akin to a human walking through some bushes. Pay them no more heed than to just move them out of the way. Of course around his feet it was absolute chaos for anyone, be they soldiers, civilians or police officers. They were just bugs and if they got in his way, that was their fault.

Gin watched all this with a look a slightly raised eyebrow. He had not been entirely expecting this. Obviously, the destruction was to be predicted, particularly given Dagarkra's aggressive nature, but seeing it actually took him by surprise a little. _Huh, and I was calling for the damn monster. Damn, was I expecting him to be warm and fuzzy?_

He shook these thoughts from his mind and quickly glanced around at the smoking trail of destruction, his ears filled the cries of wounded, the sirens that blared out through the night sky and, as he turned back to the creature, a loud crash as it knocked over another building. Dagarkra will complete and then deal with those pesky 'heroes' of this city, _especially_ their new friend. As long as Gin held the spears, he had all the cards.

"GIN!"

Gin wheeled round to see three figures standing at the edge of the roof. Hime, Ao and 'Godzilla'.

"Oh, looks who's here!" he said with fake enthusiasm, emphasising it by throwing out his arms and letting them slap back into his sides. "I was wondering when you guys would get here and stop me."

"That's because we're going to, Gin!" Hime growled at him.

Gin rolled his eyes and huffed. "Oh, here it comes! The heroes state that they won't give up and that the villain is doomed. Oh no!" his voice turned mocking for a moment and then gave a chuckle as if someone had just told a joke. "You do realise that you three are alone and cannot even hope to stop me, let alone Dagarkra."

"Think again, Gin!" a voice declared from nearby.

Another five figures, two women, one dressed as a nun, and two men and young boy of about ten, landed alongside Hime, Ao and 'Godzilla'. Upon seeing them, Gin, rather than become nervous, just chuckled. "So the rest of the party has arrived. Glad you could join us."

Akina and Kyosuke glared at Gin and Kotoha, teeth gritted and eyes burning like they were going suddenly shoot fire at her adversary, held up a pistol towards him. Yae took out her swords and stood in an attack pose. The young boy did the same. Gin, chuckled when he saw them standing like this: _May as well call them 'the Avengers'._

"You're not getting away from us!" She hissed at him. "You and that monster of yours are gone!"

Gin rolled his eyes and shook his head a little in disappointment. "You guys really don't understand it." He told them. "You _can't_ beat Dagarkra! He's practically unstoppable. Why do you think he's called the 'Accursed Demon'? It's there for a reason! And you're steroid junkie of a friend here-" he nodded at 'Godzilla', who had both fists clenched tightly together and had a look akin to a bull that had just seen red and was ready to charge "-is of no help to you either. When this town is done, he's gonna come for you all. Especially _you!_ " he added with a venomous tone towards 'Godzilla', who glared back at him.

Another series of loud booms drew their attention to Dagarkra, who growled and stomped down on something that was obscured by a row of buildings; the movement seemingly shaking the entire city. To the group, it was mostly likely that he had smashed into dust a group of police officers, or possibly even city residents who had tried to fight him. Though valiant, their defence was futile. Against a creature such as this, they could not hope to win. And Dagarkra continued on, flicking his arms out to take the tops off the surrounding buildings, raining death and destruction to those below who were able to avoid being flattened by his feet.

Gin exhaled and shook his head in disappointment, muttering a "Dear, dear, dear." Under his breath as he looked back at the group. "Looks like some people here don't understand _not_ fighting something that's huge and can crush you like a bug."

"And you don't understand that coming here and trying to destroy Sakurashin was a big mistake!" Kyosuke growled.

Gin cackled, throwing his head back at the **Oni** 's words. "Wow, and I thought _you_ of all people, or whatever comes close to them, would have understood one thing!" he told him, breathing deeply as he tried, unsuccessfully, to control his laughter, resulting in a few more chuckles. "You do that your little sister is at the one place you don't want her to be right now."

For a moment, bewilderment and fear swept through the group as Gin took a few steps back and pointed with the spear in his right hand into the city. The human/Yokai group followed his arm and their eyes fell on a large grey building about a mile or two away. Lit up windows filled the areas of the building facing their direction, though some were quickly turning off as if they were trying to avoid attracting the attention of Dagarkra. No doubt the creature was heading towards the Nana-Gou a few hundred metres behind the hosp-

Kyosuke's eyes widened. _Touka!_

 _Yes!_ Gin saw his chance. Raising both spears into the air, the jade green crystals at their ends began to glow brightly at his command. Then, like a lumberjack chopping wood in two, he slammed them down onto the roof. A bright green wave of energy shot out in a circle around him, though he had to turn away because of the light. When he looked back he saw six motionless figures lying on the floor. _Ha! No mat- wait! Six?!_

WHAM! Something hit him square in the jaw. Next thing he knew he was flying through the air and then falling. He landed with a painful thud on the roof of the neighbouring building, sending short, but sharp jolts of pain shooting up and down his body. As he got up, he saw 'Godzilla' standing near the roof of the building, hand clenched into a fist and face contorted into a look of anger further evidenced by the gritted teeth. Next to him stood Hime, who held an equally furious expression, her hand gripped tightly around the handle of her katana. The group gradually picked themselves up behind them, trying to assess the situation.

"Nice try, assholes!" Gin shouted at them as he got up, putting himself in a battle-ready stance, spears at the ready for the coming fight. "But your steroid friend here isn't gonna help you get far."

"He's not going to!" Hime exclaimed.

She jumped across the gap between the two buildings and landed gracefully and with ease, as if she had made a simple leap over a small floor space. Her eyes glared at Gin with vehement anger, the redness within them blazing away as she gripped her katana with both hands, her mind set on one thing: _Kill Gin._ Not defeat; _Kill!_

Gin seemed to sense this because he smiled wickedly at her as if mockingly. "Getting a little hot-headed, are we?" he asked rhetorically. "Better watch yourself, _mayor!_ "

"Hime!" 'Godzilla's deep voice exclaimed from behind as the others joined him in looking over at the two. "You cannot fight him alone!"

"Yes I can!" Hime shouted back, not taking her eyes off her opponent. "You guys go and stop Dagarkra. Get everyone you find out of that hospital! Get them to safety!"

"Hime-" Akina spoke up but she shouted him down.

"No, Akina! Get going!" She turned to look at them and one clear sight of her eyes that seemed to glow with anger shut them all up on the spot. With that, she turned back to face Gin. "You're dead!" she snarled and lunged at him with a yell, aiming a blow at his head which he blocked with his spears and forced her back and taking swing of his own at her, to which she ducked and rolled away a few feet before springing to her feet once again.

As the group watched the fight unfold, they felt themselves wanting to jump in and help her. She was going to need it! Even as skilled as she was with her katana, Gin was still _very_ dangerous, and using two spears that had displayed their unspeakable power twice in the last few nights was going to be more than a match for Hime. She needed help! 'Godzilla' even started moving to jump across the gap between the buildings to her; Ao, Akina and Kotoha doing the same. Kyosuke, however, stopped them by uttering the mayor's orders of them needing to get to the hospital, his voice heavy with fear as he glanced in said building's direction to see the huge form of the monster stomping closer.

As much as it pained them to leave her, they had to face the facts. They had to get to the hospital. Otherwise many people would die, Touka and Juri, their nurse friend who possessed superhuman strength, included. And if they won, Hime would _never_ let them forget it.

"C'mon!" Kyosuke urged them again and began leaping across the rooftops in the direction of the hospital as the others reluctantly followed.

Behind them, Hime and Gin continued to battle furiously, determined to defeat and kill the other.

* * *

If there was one, or a handful of words that could describe the hospital right now, it was chaos. Sheer, utter chaos. Doctors and nurses were pushing gurneys up and down corridors towards the elevators; some even going towards the stairs. One doctor was even pushing an elderly woman towards a window where a young woman with a pair of wings sprouting out of her back was waiting, nervously glancing at the approaching form of Dagarkra, now only a few hundred feet away. The stomps of his feet caused the building to shake a little; every passing moment making it more evident. Doctors were rushing up and down corridors and checking rooms and toilets to ensure nobody was being left behind.

"Juri, anyone in there?!"

"No, it's empty. The whole top floor is clear!"

Said nurse, a short, brown haired woman dressed in a nurse's uniform that was now untidy given the day's events and the current fear suddenly brought upon them by the arrival of this demonic creature, rushed down the corridor. She stopped outside another room and quickly poked her head in to see if anyone was there. _No one. Good! I hope they got out_. _But How many more won't? I just hope Touka is okay._

As she continued on down the corridor, she found herself glancing at those in her surroundings. Gurneys carrying immobile or injured patients moved with those who could walk, all of them being guided by doctors, nurses and secretaries as well as a few police officers towards what they hoped was safety. The literal sea of heads, tens of voices all shouting or giving orders and the pushing to get out of the building prevented her from being able to focus on anyone for too long. But one thing she did pick up on was the order in this evacuation. Usually, people assumed that when faced with this sort of event, people would be panicked, terrified, each and every one of them acting like wild animals as they would think only of self-preservation. Not here. Though clearly worried about what was about to happen, everyone was evacuating in a mostly orderly manner. Maybe the hospital and law enforcement officials around them helped with this as they each kept calm as best they could. Juri could understand them. After all, they were literally trained to be calm and orderly even if there was a war raging right next to them. Their calm demeanour could be what eventually made everything go smoothly and not descend into anarchy. It was times like this when Juri really felt like she was making a difference, and right now that was something she needed to do.

As she rushed past a group of people and headed towards a room at the end of a corridor, the building quacked and the lights flickered, simultaneously accompanied by cries of terror and the rattling of various medical instruments and patient belongings falling to the floor. A loud roar sounded out from outside, followed by a loud crash as something big sounded like it was collapsing. Juri gulped, feeling her hear rate accelerate rapidly. _Last room and then I better get out of here!_

She reached the room and threw open the door, eyes quickly scanning the room to see it was empty. The bed's covers were strewn over its end and on the floor with a few machines laying next to it; the screens on one of them having cracked when it fell over. Juri was about to leave when her eyes looked towards the window and went wider than she could have ever thought possible.

Marching towards them was the huge form of a creature whose blood-red skin was only accentuated by the glow of the fires in the surroundings and of the lampposts that lined the street at its feet. Even though she could not see the face clearly from her vantage point – not that she was disappointed by this – the anger and hatred that burned within its eyes was enough to make her pass out. _Too bad this place won't be any good for me given the situation!_ She watched as it paused for a moment and looked down as if disgusted with the people who were probably fleeing in droves like ants scurrying around a disturbed anthill, then raised its foot and brought it down with a thud that rocked the building a little more violently than before as loud crashes and panicked yelps and cries erupted up and down the corridor. Juri, having grabbed hold of the door to keep herself steady, looked on hopelessly, knowing what this thing had just done and that she, and likely everyone else in the hospital were bound to follow whoever had had their lives literally squashed in the blink of an eye. Oh, was there nothing that could stop this thing?!

"Juri, c'mon! We have to go!" A nurse shouted from further down the corridor.

She turned and went to leave but paused and looked back out the window at the creature as it had started moving towards the hospital once again. For a moment a look of anger came to her. What she wished on this thing was … well, to put it lightly, inhumane. She wished this thing would be hurt, beaten, even crushed or torn apart. But given the damage and destruction it was causing, nobody could really blame her.

She could only hope that something would deal with it soon. But as she turned to leave the room a loud whooshing sound filled the room, the source of the noise coming from outside. Then, a loud roar filled the air and she looked back at the window and was amazed at what she saw.

 _WOW! Talk about wishes being granted!_

* * *

For Dagarkra, the searing pain was a big and painful shock for him. One moment he was storming towards the second Nana-Gou, tearing apart anything and everything human that stood in his way with reckless abandon. The next moment, something simultaneously lit up the night sky and heated up his skin like a rising sun. Pain quickly followed and flared up and down his shoulder, back and neck as it was clear something had exploded on his back. He roared loudly and sank to his knees, shaking the surrounding city and no doubt flattening several rows of cars, and people who had failed to get out of the way. He reached his hand back to the base of his neck and immediately retracted it as it stung like fire to the touch, making him emit a grunt of pain.

Something whooshed overhead and he looked up and growled to see a small vehicle pass over very quickly. Dagarkra, doing the best to ignore the pain, rose to his feet, only to duck again as another one shot past him at a few thousand feet above. Having them do this made him feel furious. Oh, he wished he could fly after them and knock them out of the sky and crush those who drove them into dust.

Wait! A loud noise filled the air behind him. He looked to see about four shapes moving towards him, large floodlights turned on and red and white lights blinking on and off randomly. The tops of them were spinning quickly and the sound of them reverberated in the air. He glared at them angrily. Those human machines he thought he had chased off earlier were back again for another round? Well, he was _not_ going to disappoint them.

Two of the vehicles broke off and moved to his left whilst the others turned to the right. Large guns mounted to the sides began firing at him and he instinctively covered his head as the bullets collided with his arms and the spikes that ran down the back of his neck. They stung madly but his size meant that his skin was thicker than anything normal sized and so resistant to the humans' attempts at trying to harm him. Anyone on the street below or in one of the buildings looking up at this knew that though it was a valiant attempt to distract the creature, it was suicidal. What he had done to the other helicopters earlier on, knocking them out of the sky like flies, had proven that beyond doubt. And there was especially no doubt that those events were about to be repeated.

Dagarkra, still crouched, turned and then leapt up and swiped the nearest helicopter on his right out of the sky. The craft dropped like a stone onto a nearby glass building, exploding and breaking in two, leaving a huge gaping hole in the front with some of the remnants falling out of view to the street below. He moved onto the remaining three, ripping out a chunk of one of the buildings that only just reached to his knees, and tossing it at one the helicopters as it passed over a street about a hundred metres away. The ball of rubble missed but the pilot's evasive actions made the helicopter bank sharply left to get away. Another ball of rubble passed overhead, this time only just missing it.

 _"Goddamn it! Everyone hang on!"_ the pilot screamed into his radio as cries of panic and instructions from the other two helicopters rang out.

 _"Watch out!"_

Another piece of rubble was thrown. This time it hits its target and the helicopter was struck in the rear rotor. The vehicle spun madly as the pilot tried in vain to keep it airborne, alarms ringing in the ears of the occupants. It fell towards the ground, clipped the side of a building and then crashed into the street, crushing two cars and a parked van and causing a few people who had been running from the hospital and one of the nearby apartment buildings to scream and dive for cover. Dagarkra, however did not even acknowledge it as he turned towards the hospital, locked onto his next target and, with a step forward, swung a punch, hitting the helicopter dead on and sending it careering towards the hospital.

* * *

Juri had gone from being amazed to feeling utterly devastated as she watched the battle unfold with the army. Two of the helicopters along with probably tens of innocent and defenceless people had their lives snuffed out by this thing, and without any effort on its part. Oh, she had to do something! She had superhuman strength, dammit! She could do something against this thing! She _would_. She _would!_ She would run outside, grab the nearest car or piece of rubble and throw it as hard as she could at it. Hopefully she could cause some damage and get it to go after her, giving the people here a chance to escape before it caused any more deaths. It as going to be tough, but she felt like she had to do-

Something coming towards the window snapped her out of her thoughts. It was a helicopter and-

Juri barely had time to dive for cover before the room seemed to explode inward in a wave of rubble and fire and her world went black.

 **A/N: Hey fellow FF readers and writers. Apologies this one was a bit late. I had a lot of work. The progression and monster action will definitely pick up in the next two chapters.**


	18. Battle of Sakurashin P3

Time seemed to stop for Kyosuke and the gang, who had come to a halt behind their **oni** friend. He stood straight looking in the direction of the hospital, where a fire was now raging, and the lights were all going out, the growing darkness feeling like the hope they had seen and been literally leaping towards for the past few minutes was quickly being taken away from them. The group were beyond shocked and speechless, but Kyosuke was on an entirely different level. His mouth hung agape, eyes were open wide with shock, and he could swear that he was feeling his heart just stop because of what happened.

 _No … n-no! T-Touka!_

Could it be? Was she … w-was she gone?! Was she dead?! Had Dagarkra killed her?

No! Maybe she was still alive! Yes, she had to be. This was his sister after all, she was a tough little thing. Her having a broken leg did nothing to deter her from hobbling around as she would when she was normally able to run around liken a child. She was strong! She had dealt with that; she had to be able to deal with this! She had to! If she was dead then … then …

A loud THUD from nearby made the group look to see Dagarkra turn and, a large piece of rubble from an apartment building that he had torn, or smashed the roof off, swing at the fourth helicopter, which dived and only just missed it. However, their larger enemy had quicker reactions than they and he brought his fist down onto the airborne vehicle. The helicopter dropped like a stone onto another building and cut right through the roof and burst into flames, quickly extinguishing the lives of those who had been on board as well as anyone who had failed the evacuate the building's top floors.

Kyosuke watched in amazement but … but he could feel it changing within him. Something was rising, growing, getting stronger. He felt his fists clench, his eyes narrowing, his heart accelerating in its rate of beating. A power like that of a superhero, a demi-god; no, a god! It was coursing through him, running through all his veins like a mini highway with hundreds, if not thousands of microscopic cars going at full speed through his veins. His clothes began to flap in a wind that did not exist yet seemed to be swirling around him. Two red horns sprouted from the top of his head and his eyes, now a hellish red like those of Dagarkra, locked onto the huge beast as it turned to growl down at something out of view behind the edge of a nearby building's roof. Whoever or whatever it was, Kyosuke did not care.

 _I'll kill you!_ was all that seemed to rush through his head. _I'LL KILL YOU!_

He lunged forward, his rage screaming out of him as Dagarkra's face approached. The creature felt something powerful approaching and looked to see Kyosuke coming. Before the gigantic monster could react, something slammed into his jaw with the force of what could only be described as a sledgehammer made specifically for creatures of his size and he staggered back with a yell of pain, his legs tearing into the rows of buildings behind him. Ignoring the pain, he looked up at where he had been standing to see a figure floating in mid-air, a red glow surrounding his, to Dagarkra, form. Though tiny in size, the dragon could see the anger in its eyes, the hate from them enough for him to decipher that this was a fight to the end. _The very end!_

Dagarkra jumped up, muscles bulging, teeth gritted and a snarl of anger to reply to his tiny opponent. It was obvious that this was an Yokai of sorts. Well, Yokai, or not, it was going to be crushed into a pulp.

He charged forward and swiped at the Yokai, who, as expected, dodged the blow by flying around the arm. His larger foe saw through the move and quickly spun around him in turn, his legs sweeping aside many vehicles and lampposts on the street below. Before Kyosuke could react, a fist the size of a bus slammed into him and sent him flying into a wall of a nearby building, crashing through it and breaking the window next to it. Dagarkra advanced towards it, ready to finish him off.

WHAM! Something collided with the back of his head, almost sending him stumbling forward onto the buildings before him. He wheeled round and was met with another strike as another of the human individuals landed a blow, this time sending sideways to his knee, a small trail of blood running down snout.

Kotoha and Godzilla on one of the buildings behind Dagarkra, the pair of them having jumped over and attacked the behemoth when he had dealt with the last helicopter. 'Godzilla' had been able to strike him with Kotoha following up with a similar attack, thus knocking the creature down. Whilst he was down, they rushed over to the side of the rooftop and called out to Kyosuke at the next building. Thankfully, they heard him call back and, a moment later, he emerged through the hole, holding onto the broken window frame for support.

Another roar sounded out from behind as Dagarkra was back on his feet, though this time he was facing to another building nearby. Kotoha and 'Godzilla' watched as he leapt forward and slammed his fist into the top of one of the structures. The building literally exploded and sent a tide of rubble to the ground and spewed out a wall of dust that swept through the surrounding streets. He quickly followed up by slamming his other hand on the neighbouring building to the left as Yae jumped there, only just missing the dragon's fist as she jumped into the air and, using one of her katanas, cut into his finger. Dagarkra yelled out in pain and swiped an open hand towards her. This time he hit his target and sent the nun flying and onto the roof of another building a few hundred feet away.

"No!" Kyosuke yelled out.

He jumped up again, raring to get at Dagarkra and rip him apart. He did not care about his size or power in comparison to the beast. All that mattered was him getting to his target and inflicting as much pain as he could. The oni concentrated the power in his fist as he brought it back, the head of the monster quickly filling his peripheral vision. He was almost there …

The next thing, he was being crushed to death as something red wrapped itself around his body. Up above, Kyosuke saw the huge eyes of Dagarkra glaring down at him with such hatred that he wondered if even the devil himself was capable of looking so angry. Then it hit him!

 _Oh God! He's got me in his hand!_

As if sensing his sudden bout of panic, Dagarkra tightened his grip which was not good for the oni who was like an insect to him. Pain flared up and down his body as he felt like he was being squished, his bones breaking and crumbling under the immense pressure being forced onto them, the limbs being forced together as if they were between two huge clamps. His breath was squeezed out of him and Kyosuke was sure his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He tried to fight back but it was no use; his enemy was just too big, and because he was so determined to kill him the demonic creature was not going to give up easily. And now he had him.

"Kyosuke! We're coming!"

With his vision fading, the oni looked up and saw two small figures, one holding the other by the arm, lunge towards Dagarkra and struck him in the arm. Dagarkra yelled in pain but kept a firm grip on Kyosuke as he followed the two new arrivals to the fight as they quickly leapt onto another nearby roof. They dare hurt him?! Insects like these?! Oh, they were going to pay!

He charged forward and, with a swift kick, knocked the building over and then slammed his free fist into it as if he were trying to break through the earth's crust. Dust bellowed out from the remains and into the streets, obscuring the cars and much of the ground floor areas of the surrounding buildings. He growled a light growl in satisfaction. _Two pitiful humans down. Now …_

He looked at Kyosuke just as the oni was glowing red; head turned towards him and eyes blazing with fire. Dagarkra could sense the growing power within him. What was he doing?! What was this?

Kyosuke answered by unleashing all his energy into his captor, sending his power, his hatred, his rage into the hand and attacking the bones and joints, making it feel as if he had just broken the whole thing in one attack. Dagarkra instinctively released Kyosuke as he grabbed his hand in pain, only to be met with another blow to the face as Kyosuke followed up his attack. Dagarkra fell on his back, levelling several buildings by his body or the shockwave of the huge creature slamming into the ground.

From their rooftop vantage point, Kotoha and 'Godzilla' watched the fight unfold with hopeful expressions. Okay, Dagarkra could be taken down. So, he was not invincible, but they were going to need _a lot_ more help if they were to defeat him. Right now they could only slow him down from getting to the Nana-Gou.

"Is there a way we can stop him?" Kotoha asked 'Godzilla', her tone of voice evidently hoping he would answer in the affirmative.

Without taking his eyes off Dagarkra getting to his feet and dodging another blow from the others, 'Godzilla' only shrugged. "I'm not sure. Unless I can get back to my monster form, it'll be very hard, no, practically impossible to stop him."

The half-Yokai did not answer him. Damn! If 'Godzilla', their lucky card, practically their one way of winning this fight against Dagarkra, thought it was going to be hard, then it _had_ to be. The only way she could think of them winning was if Hime beat Gin. She hoped her friend was holding her own against him, but because they were so far from her trying to stop this creature it was obviously unsure if they were still fighting, or even if she was alive.

"Look out!"

Kotoha was snapped out of her trance when 'Godzilla' grabbed her and pulled her to the floor as a large piece of rubble flew a few tens of feet over them. With a thunderous CRASH it slammed into the hospital, leaving a huge hole in the front of the building. As they got up, Kotoha looked worryingly at the now partially destroyed hospital.

"Oh no!" she cried. "There's gonna be people trapped in there! We have to help them!"

"You go and deal with Dagarkra, I will go and ensure no one is left behind." 'Godzilla' told her.

"What?!" the half-Yokai exclaimed in surprise, looking at him with an expression as if he was an alien.

"Kotoha, they need you. Use your powers to keep him back. I'll re-join you shortly." And with that he rushed to the edge of the rooftop and with seemingly no effort leapt across the street to a building across the street and then onto the next one.

Kotoha could only sigh in defeat and looked back the others as they took turns at attacking Dagarkra, some of them succeeding and making said monster roar in pain, though he was able to successfully dodge and even strike back at them, always landing a hit.

 _It's up to luck now_ she mentally said to herself as took one glance back at 'Godzilla', seeing him jump across the street to the hole in the front of the hospital near the one caused by the helicopter, and then back to the others. Only then, however, did she notice something. _Wait! Where's Ao?_

* * *

Hime was forced back after another swing at Gin was blocked by him using one of the spears and his quick reaction into ducking and rolling away. She growled in frustration as she regained her footing, meeting his smiling, mocking, even enjoyable gaze with her own look of frustration and anger. He was proving to be a more difficult foe to beat than she had anticipated; so far he had barely been hit. Though she had also managed to get by with no major injuries so far, she was getting tired. And he knew it and chuckled at her.

"What's the matter, _mayor?!_ " he asked mockingly whilst laughing. "Am I wearing you out? I thought you were supposed to be a tough fighter! Having a bad day?"

Hime gritted her teeth and her narrowed even more. She hated his demeanour, she hated his mocking her, she hated his ignorance and regard for innocents caught in the middle, she hated what he had done, she hated him being able to survive a fight with her. She hated him. Oh, if she could knock him down, she would kill him. It was not a question of if she would take his life, she was going to.

Hime charged again and leapt into the air and brought her katana down, aiming for Gin's head. However, she was blocked by him bending back at a ninety-degree angle and crossing both spears over his body and used Hime to the floor and followed up with a stabbing motion using Hime's grandmother's spear. His younger opponent was quick to roll out of the way and swiped at his feet with her legs.

 _Yes!_

Gin collided with the ground and cursed loudly in pain, dropping the spear he had used to try and kill her. Hime got up and made a grab for it but he swung the other one at her, smacking her right in the side of the head and sent her stumbling sideways for a few feet before she recovered. Both turned to face one another, staring the other down, their hands gripping their weapons tightly as they waited for the other to make the first move.

 _C'mon, Gin! Attack you bastard!_ Hime thought as she looked at him.

 _Ladies first, bitch!_ He seemed to reply.

"GIN!"

Both he and Hime looked behind him to see Ao land on the roof not more than twenty feet away from their positions, a fist sized piece of rubble gripped tightly in her hand but her face held a look of pleading, hoping it would be enough to get them to stop fighting and have her brother see reason.

"AO?!" Hime exclaimed. "I thought I told you to go with the others and stop Dagarkra."

"I'm not going to Hime because I want to stop this!" she replied firmly and then shifted her gaze to her sibling. "Gin, please, for God's sake just stop all of this! You've gone too far!" she begged.

"Oh, Ao, you really don't get it!" he snapped at her. "I'm doing this because I want to. We need to change the world, and we can't do that if your mayor's muscle-faced friend is here. He's a danger and always has been. Enyou wanted to get rid of him, and I will see to that he's done." A roar from far behind Ao momentarily drew their attention to see the red-blooded demon take out another building as he tried to swipe at something too small for the three to see from their current position, though it was obvious that to would be one of the group. _Hopefully they made it out of that one okay._

"Correction, make that _we_ will see it's done." He added as Ao looked back on him, her face still holding the expression that begged for her brother to stop but it all met a brick wall that was not going to shift from what it was doing. "I'm not sorry, Ao. I'm rather disappointed, because if you had any sense in that damn head of yours, _you_ would be helping me."

The cat-eared girl just lightly shook her head in disbelief, unable to comprehend just how lost her brother was, how deluded he had become and how dead set he was on ending all of their lives and everything they had been working for. Although she had not wanted to believe it from the beginning, she knew she was going to have to face it now; her brother was well and truly lost. He just would not listen to reason and only wanted to impose his own vision of Sakurashin, and probably even the world into reality, regardless of who got in his way. Nothing was going to stop him, nothing except force. And that meant …

"Don't worry about me," Gin told her as he gripped his spears tighter in his hand and pointed one at her whilst keeping the other one trained on Hime. "But I would worry about you."

"No she won't!"

That voice! Gin recognised it immediately as he looked over in its directions and saw Another figure climbing up a ladder to the roof about twenty feet away from him. Akiro! He stood there defiantly, his eyes glaring at him holding a stern expression and he had one hand in his jean pocket whilst his other free hand had the palm facing towards the floor, fingers outstretched and pointing towards Gin, something that unnerved the latter slightly. Being a water Yokai, _anything_ could happen.

"Akiro! Where have you been?!" Gin snapped at him.

"I got caught up in making sure everyone was away from here and then had to find you guys." He replied and nodded at Hime in a reassuring way so as not to make her nervous considering their enemy knew him. "You're not going to go any further with this, Gin. I made a big mistake trying to help you and now I'm here to help set things right."

Upon hearing these words, Gin just cackled lightly. Oh this was good! Akiro, a simple water Yokai, one whose abilities probably only stretched as far as filling a bath to the brim, was going to _set things right?! Ha!_ What could he possibly do? Give him a shower?

Akiro removed his other hand from his pocket, holding a pistol in it and pointing it at Gin. For a brief moment, Gin looked panicked as he eyed the weapon, thinking that his once 'partner-in-crime' so to speak was going to shoot him. But he quickly snapped himself out of it when he realised that this was Akiro. _Akiro shoot me? Pffftt! I doubt it!_

"Getting a little courageous, are we?" Gin asked, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise. "I thought you didn't want to hurt anyone."

Akiro's lip pursed a little as he raised the gun a little more in a threatening manner. Gin was right though. He could not bring himself to shoot him, nor anyone else. Even if they had caused untold damage to two cities and had unleased a deadly demonic creature upon the world.

"Shut it!" Akiro snapped at him through gritted teeth but mentally cursed himself for doing so.

"Oh, getting annoyed now?! Feeling a little guilty? Like when you attacked Rio and took the dragon spear from the temple?"

Hime, who had been watching the exchange nervously with silence, looked over Akiro in surprise. What?! What did he just say?!

"What is he talking about?" Hime asked him.

"LOOK OUT!" Ao screamed.

It felt like they had been thrown into a brick wall as Hime was forced onto the floor, groaning in pain. She heard the one who Gin called Akiro yelp in fright, meaning he had been taken down as well. And Ao?

Another yell filled the air, only this time it was more masculine. Looking up as best she could and trying to recover from the shock of the blow, she saw Gin on his knees and leaning forward holding himself up with one hand as he used the other to cover his forehead. Behind him was Ao, only this time her legs were bent a little and the piece of rubble was no longer in her hands. Judging by the look on her face, she was surprised that she had actually done something like that. She had hurt her sibling.

"Ao!" Hime exclaimed as she forced herself up.

Big mistake!

Gin quickly shot up and, grabbing both spears he had dropped when Ao threw the piece of rubble at him, fired a green blast that struck his sister in the chest that knocked her off her feet. Before Hime could even react, Gin launched himself at her, knocking her into the air and onto the next rooftop. As she lifted herself up from the floor, groaning in pain, yet thankful that she had not landed on her sword, she saw Gin marching over to where Akiro had been standing.

Panic seized her. _Oh no!_

* * *

Akiro tried to pick himself up but the attack by Gin had been like someone hitting him with a sledgehammer as hard as they could. His limbs ached; he felt dizzy and twice he almost fell on his side trying to push himself up with his arm. He tried to process what had happened and then, to his shock as he moved his hand over the floor, found that his gun was gone. _Oh no, where was it?! Where was it?!_

Footsteps approached. He looked up and saw the figure of Gin looming over him like the Grim Reaper coming to take his soul; both spears now in one hand. The villainous Yokai glared down at him angrily, but Akiro knew that this was just the least of it. He knew that under all the skin, the ego and the rash personality lay a lot of anger, and right now it was being entirely directed at him.

Gin reached into his pocket and pulled out the pistol he had taken from one of his gang earlier and raised it so it was now pointing directly at the water Yokai's head, resting his finger on the trigger. Akiro's sea blue eyes fell on the pitch blackness in the barrel that faced him. It was an avenue of death, a one-way ticket into the next life. Quite literally, he was staring death in the eyes, only it was an object rather than an actual living thing.

"Bad luck, Akiro," Gin muttered that was nonchalant, yet was venomous in its undertone as he and said Yokai's eyes met once more. "So long!"

A gunshot rang out and Akiro's body fell to the floor and moved no more.


	19. Battle of Sakurashin P4: the return

With one swift act, Gin had personally murdered someone right in front of them. Even though death had occurred many a time over the last few days, one being so sudden and literally before their eyes made Ao and Hime made them … well, to put it bluntly, it made them feel sick, horrified, awful. Even lost.

Gin looked back at them with a satisfied expression and giggled lightly. "Not bad hey, Hime. One more obstacle out of the way."

That did it! Hime lunged at Gin, sword in hand and eyes lusting for his blood to be spilled. He had caused enough death and destruction; had terrorised thousands of innocent people and released a demonic entity to help him with his dirty work. Now was enough! Either one of them was going to die, and she was determined for it to be him.

Gin was taken by surprise at her sudden burst of anger and was quickly floored by Hime, knocking the spears out of his hand. She pinned him down with a knee on his chest and the other on his arm, her katana raised to drive it through his heart. But, thinking of turning on his front, he turned over and threw Hime off and punched her square in the face. _Take that, bitch!_

Movement from the corner of his eye made him look up to see Ao standing a few metres away with both spears in hand and pointing directly at him. He looked from them to her, seeing the concentrated expression, the half-revealed teeth as she gripped the weapons tightly in her fists. Though she did not want to attack him, he knew that she would be quick to use them if she knew how to, and if he went to attack.

 _Wait! If she knew …_

She didn't!

Gin dived at her, throwing himself onto his younger sibling and knocking her on her back as she yelled in surprise. With a comment of "Too slow, sis!" he grabbed and wrenched the spears out of her hands and got up and turned to face Hime as said person was on her feet and ready to attack.

"Stop right there, Hime!" he barked at her, threateningly pointing one of the spears down at Ao. "You move any closer and she gets it. I'm sure you don't need _that_ on your conscience."

It worked. Hime froze on the spot, the fear evident in her eyes. Her shoulders tensed, her breath became shallowed as her gaze shifted quickly from her feline-eared friend to her adversary, who stared her down with his golden eyes. Ao looked at her with fear, terrified at the prospect that her brother would possibly change his mind and finish her off then and then. But they both knew Gin would not do that, for as long as Ao was on the verge of possible death, he held all the cards. And Hime knew it. She had to do something or they were both as good as dead!

"Now back off, Hime! Gin ordered her, adding emphasis on his words by making the jade green crystal facing Ao glow brightly. "I mean it!" he urged angrily.

The mayor had no choice but to oblige and stepped back a pace, looking at Ao anxiously. _I'm sorry, but I can't do anything else! He'll kill you!_

Her adversary smiled, pleased at his work. "Good. Now if you hold still, I'll-ah!"

Being momentarily distracted gave Ao the perfect opportunity to strike. She swiped her legs across the floor and successfully knocked Gin off his feet, making him land on his side and curse loudly in pain. Hime quickly joined in and charged forward towards them, katana raised. Ao jumped on him and grabbed one of the spears to try and hold him down for her. But Gin was ready.

Grabbing one of his spears, he raised it slammed the point into the floor, sending out another green wave of energy that threw the girls off him; Ao nearly falling over the were it not for the wall saving her. By the time both girls got to their feet, Gin was already leaping onto the nearby rooftops away from them. Directly towards the battle raging nearby.

"C'mon, Ao!" Hime urged her friend as she rushed over and yanked her to her feet. "We've got to stop him!"

Before Ao could answer, Hime, with their arms hooked, jumped onto the nearby rooftop, following Gin into the unknown.

* * *

Hot …. it was hot. Unbearably so. The fires had engulfed much of the hospital and were continuing to spread, feeding off the various bits of furniture and the unfortunate victim who had failed to escape in time. Anyone left inside had little chance of escape and would likely be consumed before long.

For Juri, it was especially bad. As she began to come to, she quickly became aware of her predicament. She tried to look around and get her bearings but all she could see was smoke push herself up but something above her prevented her from going more than a few inches and it burned her back. With a cry, she fell to the floor. All around her was crackling and it appeared to be getting louder; probably because her senses were starting to come back to her. The intense heat made it hard for her to keep her eyes open and she had to squint. Even so, she could still see fire all around her.

 _Am I still in the room? Shit! I gotta get outta here! I have to go now. Let me try getting up again! AH! NO! It burns!_

The room shook and something fell to the floor with a crash in a nearby room. A loud roar sounded from outside. Juri looked up but could not see through the thick cloud of toxic fumes that surrounded her. Another loud BOOM erupted and the building shook again. Something crashed into the floor a little in front of her. Oh god, the ceiling was coming down! She had to get out of here!

 _Okay, try crawling forward! One! Two! Thr-what the?! Oh no! My foot it's caught._

Juri cursed loudly and tried pulling her leg but it was no use. Though she could not see, she knew her leg was caught between two things. She tried again to pull it free but to no avail. Again. Nothing! Again! NO, goddamnit!

 _"Hello!"_

She froze as if she had seen a ghost, but her heart leapt with joy. _Someone's here!_ "Hello?!" She cried out, hoping she would be heard.

Something heavy approached, bellowing out another "Hello!" in a deep voice. Juri called out again but coughed as she inadvertently breathed in some smoke. She tried to cover them with her arm but, although it helped to lessen the smoke going into her, she knew she wasn't going to last long. Wait! Footsteps? Yes! Someone was near. She coughed loudly and weakly called out again. _C'mon! Please!_

A hand reached out and grabbed her by the front of her shirt and yanked her, just missing her head from hitting the top of a large black object. She found herself resting against a huge, muscular arm with half of a black jacket sleeve missing, probably having been unable to fit around the huge limb of this person. Before she could even speak, her and the person were moving again towards the hole, the fire rushing past them in a blur. Someone else, another woman by the sounds of it, cried out and the deep voice calmed her as ... yes, he was jumping. Fresh air swept over Juri. They were outside now and she saw the blackness dominate much of the sky above, the beauty of the stars that were visible through the pillars of smoke and the huge form of the creature that was swiping at seemingly nothing in the air around it. She was jolted as they landed and thought for a brief moment it was all over until she saw the ground race away from her again. The rooftops came to eye-level and then seemed to shoot skyward again. Another jolt shook her body like jelly as the person made contact with the ground.

"You're safe now." He said to them softly.

Juri was placed on the ground alongside another person, who immediately embraced her tightly. "Juri! I'm glad you're okay!"

Touka! She felt like she could have leapt with joy and embraced the girl back, though being careful not to apply too much pressure due to her own superhuman strength, a product of her Yokai heritage. The young teenage girl released her and drew back a little, letting the nurse take in the relief in her expression, the happiness that she was out of the burning death trap and that they were now safe.

A loud roar from where they had come made them look in that direction. Just at that moment, Dagarkra swung his fist into the hospital that only just reached up to his mid torso area, tearing off the roof and sending rubble flying in all directions. Anyone who would have been in that part of the building was, no doubt, dead but he seemed to have missed what he was aiming for as he quickly turned his hips to its right. His fist came up again and slammed into another building, making it explode outwards and shower the surrounding streets with another load of rubble.

"You two need to get to safety! Quick, whilst you still can!"

It was then Juri fully got a glimpse of her saviour and … her jaw almost fell to the floor, her eyes grew wide and her breath was caught in her throat. But her mind seemed to be screaming: _'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my God!'_

Before her was not simply a huge muscular man, but someone who, at least in her eyes, was a knight in shining armour, a huge titan of heroic deeds, a demi-god akin to Hercules himself. She felt like she was going to explode as she just wanted to lunge at him and wrap her arms around his chest and feel his arms and …

"Is she alright?" the large man asked Touka, to which the young girl rolled her eyes after momentarily glancing at the girls.

"It's alright, she just fangirling!" she replied almost nonchalantly as if this were a common occurence.

'Godzilla' just shook his head and rolled his eyes in a manner that reminded him of the many who had wanted their way with him already. _Why am I not surprised?_ But now was not the time.

He leapt forward back down the street towards the hospital, back into the fray once again. Behind him, Touka, with help from Juri, lifted herself up onto her feet and they began to move away; all the while Juri was babbling on about her 'hero'.

"My God, did you see how hot he looked?! And his voice?! So deep and masculine! Oh my god, I feel-"

"Okay, Juri!" Touka interrupted her friend loudly as they passed into another street, hoping to join a group of people and police officers in their exodus from Sakurashin. _Jeez, she's such a fangirl._ "Next thing, you'll be wanting to marry him." She muttered to herself.

"Good idea!" Juri exclaimed with glee.

 _Oh no!_

* * *

Dagarkra was getting more and more frustrated by the second. Trying to squash a small boy and a nun was hard enough (they had just avoided being smashed into paste when they had leapt towards the hospital) but with about three others also harassing him, it was really getting on his nerves. His huge size, once a terror in of itself, was now a disadvantage.

The one who was especially getting on his nerves was the young woman who seemed able to conjure up anything she wanted and using it against him. As the nun and the young boy quickly jumped onto another building nearby, a rocket flew out and struck him in the face. Dagarkra roared in both surprise and pain and looked at its source to see her standing on the slanting roof of a hotel. Their eyes met briefly and he saw the hatred and anger within them, the desire to see him eradicated from the city for good. _You're dead meat! We will beat you!_

He growled and advanced towards her but saw another two figures leap from the street, one on each side and heading straight for him. Dagarkra saw it was a black haired young man on the right and the **oni** on the left; they having made him walk into a trap. Well, he had his _own_ plans. He threw out both arms in a motion as if he were swimming in the sea and struck both from the ground. Kyosuke fell through an office window, Akina was caught by Yae, who had rushed forward and grabbed him mid-jump and brought him safely away from the danger before them.

Satisfied that two of the enemies were out of the way he looked back at the young girl, who was now loading another rocket into the weapon onto her shoulder. He advanced again, determined to crush her under his feet or hand or whatever he could use against her.

WHAM! Something slammed into the side of his neck and he fell onto the hotel, flattening it completely. For a moment, the pain flared up and down his body and he tried to get up, pushing himself from the ground. Who could have done that? Not the **oni,** or the boy, and the others were either in his sights or too far away.

He got his answer as he looked up and saw a human land on the roof of the building across the street. Though he was small to the demonic creature, Dagarkra could see he was muscular and evidently had a lot of power if he were able to knock him over like that. It was him! The one he had seen earlier in the square when he had first arrived in the city. Oh, he was proving to be a bigger nuisance than ever.

The human glared at him as if to say: _You're finished! I will put you in the ground._

Not if I strike first!

Dagarkra thought to himself.

The human jumped again, though whether to attack or move to another position was uncertain. But either way, Dagarkra was ready for him.

With a swipe of his fist, he punched the man and sent him flying through the air with the speed as if he were a tiny stone thrown by a boy; quickly disappearing over the skyline.

"Godzilla!" Kotoha exclaimed in horror.

* * *

Meanwhile, about a hundred metres away, Gin landed on one of the rooftops, having watched the battle eagerly as he approached, hoping to use Dagarkra against the mayor and his sister. They had been hot on his tail and he had to keep moving to avoid them catching up. _Just a few more buildings! Almost there! Almost there!_

"GOTCHA!"

A foot hitting hard on his back threw him to the ground, landing on his nose with a sickening crack that made him cry out as a sharp, numbing pain ran through his body. Someone landed to his right; followed quickly by another person ahead of him. He looked up and saw Hime coming towards him, katana raised to cut him in two.

He rolled over and blocked the attack with his spears, pushing her back and jumping onto his feet and turning to face her; knees bent, back straight and weapons half-raised, ready to fight the mayor.

"Your dead, Gin!" Hime growled at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You first!" he replied through gritted teeth, bringing one of his spears up to fire at her.

A gunshot rang out through the air. Something shattered and Gin yelled out in surprise as he and Hime looked at the spear in his right hand and then up at Ao. She stood about ten feet away, the gun raised towards him. All eyes fell to the spear to see the jade crystal now lying on the floor near his feet, it's jade green colour now faded and dull.

"You idiot, Ao!" he shouted at her, forgetting about Hime for a moment as he turned his entire body towards her, looking as if he was going to charge at her at any second. "I'm gonna kill y-AH!"

He fell back as a green cylindrical spire shot up out of the crystal to a point about twenty feet above the floor. Then, in the blink of an eye, flew out over the skyline into the distance. Gin could only look in disbelief as he felt his power, his hope, his chance of victory be snatched away from him.

 _No!_

* * *

Kotoha felt the life being squeezed out of her as Dagarkra held her before his devilish face, baring his teeth to frighten her. His red eyes glared down at her with such hatred that she thought he was going to shoot fire from them. She gasped for breath as he tightened his grip, though he was doing it slowly. He was taking his time with her, slowly torturing her before crushing her like a bug (which she was from his perspective).

THUD! The ground shook and Dagarkra, along with everyone else, immediately turned his head in the direction of the noise; its source being about a mile away near a group of buildings. Something was moving, something big. He saw a row of spines shaking from side to side as they slowly rose into the air, followed by a large, muscular torso with a head and a pair of arms attached to it. A long tail stretched out behind the creature, which turned its head in his direction. Part of its silhouette was formed against a backdrop of fire and smoke from the buildings formed as the creature rose from the ground. The moment they locked eyes, the creature glared, and growled deeply; the sound being audible to Dagarkra despite the distance.

From across the rooftops, everyone was now looking at this huge bulking mass, the enormous creature that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, the sudden arrival of this behemoth, this titan. No, this god. Although most did not know its name, they knew it was the same creature that had wreaked havoc in Tokyo a few nights ago, and now it was here in Sakurashin.

But to Hime, Akina, Kyosuke, Ao and Kotoha, they knew perfectly well _who_ this was, yet, as before, could not bring them selves to utter his name.

 **Godzilla.**

 _ **SSSKKRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-oooooooonnnnggggghhhhh!**_


	20. Battle of Sakurashin P5: Is it over?

Just as in Tokyo a few days earlier, the roar seemed to come from god himself as it rolled out across Sakurashin, rattling the windows and forcing anyone close to cover their ears. All noise around the city, be it people crying out to others to wonder about their safety or the army ordering their soldiers into position seemed to fall silent for a moment as the new arrival made his presence known to the world. _I am here! I have returned!_

Outside the hospital, Dagarkra took in Godzilla's huge bulky form for a moment, amazed that something at _that_ size was here and had arrived undetected. He himself could barely move anywhere without the humans spotting him and starting a screaming fest. How had this one managed to get into the city and appear undetected?!

Unless … Realisation set in. _The human!_ The one he had thrown over there just moments ago while fighting these pesky creatures. It was him!

Godzilla glared at Dagarkra and began advancing towards him, his hands clenching into fists and teeth bared in an aggressive manner. The look of anger on his face was enough to tell anyone: _You will pay for what you have done. Tonight, you will fall!_

The demonic creature immediately responded in turn, tossing Kotoha away without a second thought and began marching towards Godzilla, swiping the top half of a building clean off as he went. As the two goliaths neared each other, Dagarkra let out a small roar in an attempt to intimidate his opponent. Godzilla, who was much bigger both in height and width, was undeterred and continued on, his large feet flattening entire streets and scraping the fronts and sides off of buildings.

Suddenly, Dagarkra suddenly charged towards Godzilla, screaming in fury like a madman. His eyes were wide and wild like that of a creature driven by hunger, fatigue and madness. His feet flattened everything on the streets that happened to be in his path and caused the ground to shake. A partially destroyed, damaged by rubble that had been flung across the city by Dagarkra's rampage, collapsed as he ran past but he paid it no heed. Godzilla continued, every step of his making the earth quake.

As they were about a hundred metres from each other, Dagarkra leapt into the air, covered one fist with his other hand and brought it down with all his might on Godzilla. His larger opponent saw the attack coming though but, because he was unable to move out of the way in time, turned his back towards the demonic monster as he made contact. Dagarkra screamed as Godzilla's dorsal fins sliced into his hand, cutting deep into the flesh and he had to pull his hand off. Blood ran from the wounds and fell onto Godzilla's body and the ground below, though it was barely noticeable given the colour of Dagarkra's skin.

Godzilla turned to face him again and he saw just how mad Dagarkra was. He teeth were bared and gritted together so hard that anyone who looked at him was sure they would break under his own strength. Heavy breaths passed through them and he moved his fists back to his sides, ignoring the searing pain that shot up his arm. What really stood out were his eyes; they were like molten lava, the fire from the earth's centre. No, it was like the fire of hell itself was alive in his eyes. He wanted to hurt Godzilla, badly. He wanted to kill him.

Like a bull seeing red, he charged forward with a roar and swung his injured hand at Godzilla in a punch. This time, he hit home and smashed into the larger monster's cheek with a deafening cracking sound that sent him down onto a nearby building. Dagarkra followed up this attack with a stomp to the head. Godzilla roared in pain and tried to get up but the demonic creature grabbed him by the back of his neck and, with strength that belied his more athletic size, threw the creature into the next building, obliterating it completely in a waterfall of rubble and dust, and followed up the attack by pummelling him with his fists. He had him down! Now it was time to take him out whilst he was weak!

Godzilla, however, was not going to be taken down easily. As Dagarkra grabbed him by the back of the neck again, he turned over so quickly and threw his enemy headfirst into the ground, obliterating the buildings in his way and cracking the ground underneath as if it had been hit with a sledgehammer. Godzilla quickly took the initiative and, after picking himself up, grabbed Dagarkra and, though struggling as the monster that was barely half his mass was heavier than he looked, tossed him onto a wide and rectangular office building, flattening it completely. He then advanced and swiped at Dagarkra with his hand, striking him in the head and causing him to fall to the ground yet again. Another swipe struck between the horns and made the blood red monster roar in pain. Godzilla internally smiled to himself. _He's tough but I am beating him. He will soon be defeated._

That was to be short-lived as Dagarkra launched himself up and uppercut Godzilla, knocking him back a few paces. More blood flowed from his injured hand but the ignored it and, grabbing Godzilla by the sides of his head, turned his hips left and threw him to the ground. The earth leapt as the enormous bulk of the monster fell to the ground, flattening a street for a few hundred feet. The dorsal fins sheared through the glass front of the other buildings, cutting one tall apartment building in two. Godzilla roared in pain but no help came to his aid and Dagarkra did not hold back and placed his clawed foot on Godzilla's leg and dug in deeply, making his larger foe cry out again.

As Dagarkra was about to strike the side of Godzilla's torso, a loud whooshing sound filled the air. Something flew overhead. Dagarkra looked up angrily, knowing that this sound meant the return of those pesky human flying machines! Damn them! If he could reach up there, he would grab every one of them out of the sky and crush them between his fingers! A second jet came in, only this time heading straight for them. Before Dagarkra could react, two objects flew out from the jet. One hit him in the shoulder whilst the other struck the stomach. Blood spewed and bits of flesh fell from the former spot, and the blood coloured monster let out a painful roar, staggering off of Godzilla as he clutched the wounded spots with his hands. He watched the jet fly overhead, glaring furiously at it, wishing his eyes would be able to shoot lasers or fire at it and make it explode into a fireball. _That would teach them!_

A growl from behind made him turn and he was greeted by a punch to the face, followed by a huge grey wall slamming into him. The impact threw him onto another badly damaged building, crushing it completely under his back and his arms swiped two others from existence. Godzilla stomped towards him, a snarl on his face. _You are tough, but I will crush you. You cannot stop me!_

* * *

Nearby, Hime, Ao and Gin watched the fight unfold in silence, though the two former were ecstatic as their friend had returned to his normal form. Now they had a chance to stop Gin and Dagarkra before they caused any more damage. There was hope for them! They could do it! They could win!

Gin, on the other hand, watched with his mouth agape, eyes wide and body devoid of breath as if he was a statue made to stare with an expression of disbelief into the distance forever. But inside he was fuming. No! NO! This was not supposed to happen; Godzilla could not just come back and throw a spanner in his all his work. He could not let all he had been planning on – _everything_ that Enyou had started long ago – be ruined by him! He had to get over there and rectify this; now before it was too late.

 _But first ..._

He rushed over to his younger sibling, the move being so quick that she barely had time to scream before he had an arm wrapped around her neck and the gun pressed up against her temple. Hime turned in response to the move but went still, afraid to even move a muscle as Gin gave her the death glare.

"Don't even try it, bitch!" he snarled at her.

Hime gritted her teeth and responded with a glare of her own but still did not move, her eyes betraying her fear for her younger friend as she struggled against Gin's hold. He noticed this and grinned a little but kept a firm look on his face.

"Now, do as I say, or she gets it!" he hissed, emphasising his threat by pushing the barrel of the gun into her skin, making her moan in pain.

"Stop!" Hime growled, taking a step closer to them, gripping her katana as she desperately wanted to drive it through Gin's chest. She stopped when Gin tightened his arm around Ao's neck and her pleading eyes met Hime's. _Please, help me!_ "Look, let her go, Gin! She's your sister!"

"And _your_ friend!" he barked in reply. "Now do as I say and she'll be fine. You, not so much." He nodded his head over at the jade green crystal and the spears on the ground. "Pick up the crystal."

Hime glanced at Ao once again and then back at Gin, her eyes giving him the message he expected. _I hate you, you bastard!_

"Do it!" he growled.

Reluctantly, she obeyed. Hime walked over to the crystal and picked it up, wishing it were a rock that she could hurl at Gin and hit him right between the eyes. She even thought about doing it but was stopped when Gin barked at her to bring it over to them.

"Ao, hold out your hand, and keep the other one against your side." He commanded her.

His sister did exactly as she told, holding out her palm to her friend to collect the crystal. To Gin, it was an acknowledgment of his command but to Hime and Ao, dear readers, it was a cry for help. A plea for her to be freed from the deathly grip of her older sibling, begging not to have her life taken from her. _Help me! Don't let him take me!_

Hime could only look on helplessly as she stopped just a little in front of Ao's outstretched hand and dropped the crystal into it. If only she could grab her friend and pull her away. But it would be hopeless and Gin had all the cards. Any kind of wrong move on her part and Ao would be dead. She looked at Ao, trying to be reassuring and comforting, telling her she would be save her. It was hard though and was certain Ao, and Gin, noticed it too.

"Give it here, Ao," he ordered, opening his hand on the arm that was around her neck.

Ao did so, placing it in his hand and he tightly wrapped his fingers around it. "Thank you. Now say goodbye."

Hime and Ao went wide-eyed. What?! He was going to shoot them anyway?! That bastard. That criminal, scumbag, son-of-a- bi-

A gunshot rang out and Hime fell to the ground, screaming in agony as the bullet embedded itself in her shoulder. She slammed her hand on it, blood seeping from the wound as she tried to apply pressure and stem the tide of pain flowing from the impact point. Ao cried out in panic but Gin tugged at her neck with his arm, a clear sign of _'Help her and you're dead, sis!'._

"Stop your whining, Hime, it's givin' me a headache." He told her as he retracted the gun and pretended to blow smoke away from the barrel akin to how a cowboy would do it from one of the old western films. "And let that also knock some sense into you. You've lost!" he said to her.

Hime looked up at him, squealing in pain as she sat up, her hand clutched around her arm, eyes a mixture of sorrow and fury. Why he was doing this was just completely above her head. How could he do this?! He was killing tens, if not hundreds of people and just unleashed a monster onto the world. Did he have no sympathy?!

"You're a monster, Gin!" Ao seethed at him, struggling hard to break free.

"Just someone whose committed to what he wants." He told her, tightening his arm around her to make her stop. He went to speak further but a distant rumbling sound made the three of them look in the direction a little to the left of Godzilla and Dagarkra. "Well," Gin said, smiling to himself. "Looks like another one has joined the party."

* * *

Godzilla snarled at Dagarkra as the demonic creature wiped blood from his lips with the back of his bloodied hand; he also returning with a snarl and baring his teeth. Godzilla had managed to punch Dagarkra in the face when he had him in a headlock, hence the wound. Now Dagarkra was raring to get back at him. It honestly shocked Godzilla a little, knowing that his enemy was bleeding and was badly injured and yet was able to relatively hold his own in a fight and was continuing despite the injuries. It reminded him of an apparent term the humans used called 'adrenaline junkie', something he had heard whilst on his way to the city when he himself had been one. Apparently, they could be very aggressive and, if provoked, could fight constantly beyond the capabilities of a normal human until it all wore off.

Right now, he was facing a similar situation, only Dagarkra was not like this because of some drug or powder or anything like that. This was entirely natural for him; which meant it was going to be one hell of a fight before one of them emerged victorious, and both were determined that it would be them and not the other.

The ground shook and a series of loud rumblings and booms approached from the south. Godzilla and Dagarkra turned their heads in that direction, momentarily perplexed. What is that?

The buildings in front of Godzilla seemed to explode outwards and the next thing he knew, something slammed into him, throwing him to the ground with a BOOM that threw piles of rubble into the air and caused two damaged buildings to crumble. Whatever it was wrapped itself around his chest, tightening itself like an anaconda strangling its prey. Godzilla, dazed by the sudden attack, looked up and saw the familiar head of Manda a few inches – if one were to go by monster measurements – from his own, hissing mockingly. _Didn't think you'd see me again, did you?_

He bit down on Godzilla's snout, making him roar in pain. Godzilla grabbed Manda around the midsection, the creature's longer body being its disadvantage, and slammed it into the ground. It had the desired effect as Manda screeched in pain and managed to wiggle itself free of Godzilla's grasp, scurrying away down the street to nurse its wound. For a moment, the large creature breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the blood from his snout. _For a small runt, he does possess a nasty bite._

Heavy footsteps rushed towards him and a sharp kick hit him in the side of the head, sending him on his side. Dagarkra had seized the initiative and decided to follow up the attack whilst Godzilla was down. Pleased but not satisfied, he grabbed said monster by the top of one of his dorsal fins and punched Godzilla in the face with his other hand, making sure to thrust his head into the concrete. _Weakling!_

* * *

From their vantage point, Kotoha, who had landed been grabbed by Akina and the boy when Dagarkra tossed her aside, watched helplessly with them and Kyosuke and Yae as Godzilla was being pummelled. They had hoped their former human friend would be able to stop Dagarkra, and it had looked that way for a while. But now that Manda had suddenly reappeared, the odds were now heavily stacked against them all. They watched as Manda reared up on his back legs and bent his body like a snake, roaring encouragement at Dagarkra as the blood red monster grabbed Godzilla and threw him over his shoulder into another row of buildings. The ground rocked, it being felt by the group despite being a few hundred feet away but the two aggressor monsters did not hold back; they continued on, ready to beat him.

"We have to help him!" Kotoha said with urgency, looking at the others for approval. "He's getting his ass kicked!"

They all nodded, Akina looking on anxiously as Dagarkra landed a fist on Godzilla's back, this time being careful to avoid the fins. Manda came forward and bit down on Godzilla's neck. They heard him cry out but there was little they could do. These monsters were too big and too powerful, and they only just survived fighting Dagarkra. Now with _two_ against them, it was literally going to be a fight to the death.

 _And if we don't do something, Godzilla will be the one who dies!_ Akina mentally told himself.

"How are we gonna do it?" Kyosuke asked, glancing at them as if they had an idea. "Well? Guys, we need to think of a plan?! And fast!" he added, his voice becoming vehement as Godzilla's roar of pain filled the air once again.

"We have to lure one of them away," Akina spoke up, all heads turning to him. "It's gonna be tough but if we can defeat one of them, it'll give Godzilla a fighting chance."

"And which one are you talking about?" the boy said. "In case you haven't noticed, they ain't gonna voluntarily chase us."

"I vote Dagarkra." Kyosuke spoke up.

"No, it has to be Manda." Akina counter argued.

Kyosuke looked at him angrily and went to rebut him but Kotoha intervened. "No, Akina's right, Kyosuke. Dagarkra is too powerful; we won't stand a chance against him, even with Godzilla."

Kyosuke glared at her but said nothing. He had to admit that they were both correct in their opinions. Dagarkra would kill them if they tried to fight him. Manda was the weaker of the two enemy monsters; at least taking him out of the equation would even their chances of victory. Hopefully.

"Okay," he sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

Watching from afar, Gin chuckled to himself as he saw Dagarkra and Manda attack and overpower Godzilla. His two monsters were a deadly combination, one that this apparently all-powerful creature was failing to fight back against. He watched Dagarkra land another blow on Godzilla. Manda followed it up by turning his body and swiping his tail across Godzilla's face. Both were relentless and deadly.

"I give him another ten minutes." Gin muttered. Another roar of pain from Godzilla made him ponder for a moment, then he said: "Scratch that, make it six or seven."

Hime and Ao locked eyes once again, both looking lost for words at just how severe the situation had deteriorated for them. Godzilla was literally being beaten to death and they were all the way over here and unable to help him! Oh this was terrible! They _had_ to do something! If Godzilla was killed, then all hope was lost. Nothing could possibly defeat both Manda and Dagarkra.

Hime gave Ao a determined look, telling her that under no circumstances were they to let her brother win. They _had_ to beat him and they had to stop Dagarkra and Manda. Ao saw this even without her ability to read the mayor's thoughts. She also found herself and her friend wondering where the others were. A moment of terror struck them. _Had they been killed by Dagarkra?!_

"Well now, I best get over there and help them." Gin spoke up, looking at Hime as he pointed the gun at her again. "Unfortunately, _you_ won't be seeing the end of this." He paused as he took in the terrified look on her face, amused at the petrified look that met his confident and overzealous expression. "Goodbye, Hime."

He pulled the trigger. _Click!_ "Huh?!

He pressed down on it again desperately. _Click! Click! Click!_ It was empty.

"No!" Gin shouted in frustration. "Damn it, no!"

Ao saw her chance and struck. She raised her foot and stomped down on Gin's foot as hard as she could. He cried out in pain and loosened his hold of her. Hime saw her chance and, gritting her teeth as hard as possible to conceal the pain, charged forward, driving her katana ahead of her. Ao yelped and bent her body out of the way but Gin, who also saw it coming, jumped to the side and, with a swing of his fist, struck Hime in the back, sending her forward to the floor with a grunt of pain. Ao charged at him, grabbing him and hitting him in the face and shoulder but he pushed her back by the neck to fall next to her friend.

"Screw this!" Gin exclaimed, pocketing the gun and rushing to grab the spears that lay on the ground. "Try and catch me!" he snarled at them and began leaping across the rooftops away before the girls could do anything.

Ao, slight pain stinging her elbows from where they had struck the floor, picked herself up and helped Hime to her feet, both women looking at Gin's gradually shrinking form as he moved back in the direction of the battle between the three monsters.

"Damn it!" Hime hissed, pausing as she let out another grunt of pain. "He got away. We have to stop him!"

"No, Hime, you're hurt. You need to stay somewhere safe." Ao insisted but Hime overruled her in a manner as if Ao had personally insulted her – she had probably even done such a thing by suggesting it in the first place.

"No, Ao! This is my home and I swore to defend it and I'm going to defend it, with my life if necessary. No, don't try and convince me otherwise! Now c'mon, we have to get after him!"

Ao sighed. Why did she have to be so obstinate?! She's in no condition to fight and only just escaped being killed moments ago; she's going to end up getting herself killed if this carries on.

Still, she obeyed helped her friend over to the edge of the rooftop. Hime wrapped her arm around her cat-eared friend and leapt across the gap between the buildings to the next, though each jump made her injuries hurt like hell.

 _It's now or never_ she mentally told herself. _We have to beat him now_.

* * *

Blood flowed, bones cracked, flesh fell in small bits from his body, his breath weakening as endless blows fell upon him. He tried to fight back, swinging a punch at Dagarkra but his smaller, yet amazingly strong enemy grabbed his fist and pushed it aside, and uppercut Godzilla, knocking him back a few paces. Manda launched himself on Godzilla, wrapping his long body around his midsection and chest, and bit down on the shoulder. Godzilla roared and tried to grab Manda but was stopped as Dagarkra grabbed him and, using his powerful jaws, bit him on his other arm. Despite his thick skin, blood flowed as Dagarkra's teeth sheared through it like scissors through paper, pushing his opponent back and throwing him into a small park area, flattening it and three unfortunate people who had taken cover there after fleeing from their building a few minutes earlier.

Manda unwrapped itself and sneered at Godzilla, mocking his weakness. _This_ is who he had been afraid of? Godzilla had been the one who had beaten him nearly to death a few days earlier, the one who he had been terrified of running into again in case next time he _was_ killed. And now he could see the reality; which was that Godzilla could not hold his own against two opponents, let alone even one who was smaller and much thinner than him, and, by monster logic, not meant to be as physically strong. It was becoming too easy.

Dagarkra stomped over and placed his foot on Godzilla's head, pushing it down into the ground as if he were trying to squish an insect, glaring down at him with such vehement hatred it was as if god and the devil themselves were in conflict here. Godzilla tried in vain to throw him off but he had not the strength. He looked up, trying to show defiance in his glare at Dagarkra but his enemy just took it as an invitation to push down harder. He wanted to crush Godzilla's skull into dust. He wanted his brain to be splattered across the ground. He wanted his body to burn to a crisp, into nothing but a blackened shell of its

Something red flew down and slammed into Manda's back. The snake-like monster screamed in pain and flailed about as he tried to recover from the pain. Dagarkra yelled in surprise and looked up to see the bright red object land on a building behind Manda. The moment it touched the roof, it disappeared, and five people were revealed to be standing there. Two men, a young boy and two women. It was them; the very ones he had fought against earlier before Godzilla had arrived. They were back for more? Well he was going to give it to them and then come back and finish off Godzilla!

Manda, however, beat him to it. The elongated sea monster whipped round and snarled at the group, his head equal to the rooftop. He advanced slowly, deliberately intending to strike fear into them. It seemed to work as the five backed away, gradually separating from each other as they went.

"Okay, we got his attention!" Kotoha said as Manda approached.

"Great, now we just need to keep him busy," Akina said, glancing up at the towering form of Dagarkra as the demonic monster stepped over, and on, Godzilla's weakened body and was following close behind Manda. "But I think we've got company." He added anxiously.

Dagarkra moved to the left of Manda a bit, taking great strides so that he was out of the park, his feet knocking an apartment building and a small office building next door out of the way as he went. The group noticed this, quickly realising what was going on. They were being encircled. Dagarkra was going to stop them from leaping to safety as they had done earlier so that Manda could rip them to shreds. Akina inwardly cursed himself, berating his mind for coming up with such a risky, and now obviously fatal plan that was going to see them all dead.

When Manda was about fifty feet from the building, however, something unexpected happened.

Dagarkra looked over in the direction of the hospital several hundred feet away and quickly began marching over in that direction. To the amazement of the group, and especially Manda who watched him go literally with wide-eyes and a mouth that fell open as if it was going to come off, he did not even look back at them. It was as if he had completely forgotten about them.

 _What on earth was happening now?_

* * *

Gin, who now stood on the still standing, but clearly cracked and damaged roof of the hospital, lowered his arm with his still usable spear, relieved that Dagarkra had sensed it and was now coming over like a dog returning to its master. _Though I'm glad he can't see it that way._ It had been hard getting here and the wounds across Dagarkra's body showed he had clearly fought hard and suffered for it.

 _Well, at least he's still alive. Now we can finish this_ Gin thought with moderate positivity.

Someone landing nearby made him wheel round quickly, weapons at the ready, concentration at its highest level, only to let out an annoyed sigh as he saw it was none other than Ao.

"Still trying to stop me?" he asked her rhetorically. "Where's your mayor?" he asked, adding a disgusted tone on the last word as if he felt he would throw up when mentioning it.

"She out of harm's way," Ao said, holding something at the ready in her hands.

Gin cackled when he saw it. "Oh you think you're a warrior with that katana now, do you?" he mocked, laughing again. "Wow, you sure do make me laugh, sis!"

"Stop it, Gin!" Ao snapped angrily, gripping the weapon tighter. "It's over. We have the army here and we're not going to stop, even if you have two monsters fighting us. You can't win."

The ground shook as something large approached. Ao looked up and gasped, the colour draining from her face as she turned to face Dagarkra, keeping the katana pointed at him as if it would deter him from attacking. But she knew it was hopeless; she was an insect compared to him. He could crush her like one too.

"Oh have I?" Gin asked, grinning evilly at her fear and terror as Dagarkra loomed overhead, glaring down at her and looking as if he wanted to smash her into paste then and there. "It was nice knowing you, sis. Shame you couldn't join me."

Ao went to shout an invective back at him but a growl from above made her back away in fear, almost tripping over some scattered rubble as Dagarkra took a slow, small step towards her, raising his open hand to shoulder level.

Ao knew now just how much of a mistake she had made coming over here to face her brother. She was done for now.


	21. Battle of Sakurashin: The endgame

For Ao it was well and truly the end. She backed away from the ubiquitous form of Dagarkra as he took another step closer to the burning hospital. It shook a little as he seemed to intentionally slam his foot into the ground, causing something on one of the floors below, visible through a hole, to crash to the floor. Terror gripped her. Dagarkra's red eyes bore into her with fiery hatred. To her, he was a monster, a devil, a behemoth of evil. And was a tough one considering he had been struck with missiles, punched, kicked and burned, and was still walking. To him, however, she was a mere insect and was going to be squashed flat. Nothing would be left, apart from a pile of gory remains.

Gin giggled to himself, his sister's fear akin to mime putting on a terrified expression in a ridiculous display. "So long, sis."

 **KAAARRRGGGGKKKKKKHHHHHH!**

Dagarkra paused and looked over his shoulder. Gin and Ao looked in the same direction, all six pairs of eyes, along with probably countless others across the area, turned to a largely destroyed section of Sakurashin. A huge cloud of dust and smoke hung in the air around it, blocking everything under and behind it from sight as if it were something too ghastly for anyone to behold.

A crystal blue glow lit up the cloud like the glow of a blue star. Quickly, as if by its own will, it began to move along a long moving object that seemed to gradually increase in size. Those around the location looked on in amazement, transfixed by the beauty and peculiarity of the glow as it ran along … a tail?! Yes, that was what it was! It travelled up and up, connecting to a large body that rose out of the cloud, standing tall and proud above the destroyed section of the city. The blue glow, now covering a huge section of the shape, revealed several rows of dorsal fins along its back and seemed to leave a trail of residue in the air as it began to turn to, presumably face them.

 _Godzilla_! Ao thought with sudden rush of hope.

Dagarkra growled, knowing that his larger enemy had recovered and was back in the fight. He glanced over to the right where he had left Godzilla to see Manda also fixated on the large creature, though he held an expression of fear rather than anger. Obviously he had not expected Godzilla to get back up again after being given such a beating that would have killed someone had they all been humans. The fact that he was back on his feet only showed that he was a tough one to take down.

As Dagarkra looked back at Godzilla, his eyes met the glowing blue ones of the larger monster ahead of him. They looked like blue fire, ready to burn their demonic enemy to a crisp and end his reign of terror. Godzilla seemed to rear back, puffing out his chest as if he was going to let loose another roar, his huge form seeming ubiquitous.

Then … **WHOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHH!** Ao and Gin immediately covered their eyes as the glow now seemed to be right on top of them. Though they could not see, they could hear Dagarkra's scream of pain fill the air. The building shook, the footfalls quieting slightly as a wave of heat swept over the two on the rooftop. The earth seemed to leap as something large fell nearby, causing part of the hospital's wing furthest from Ao and Gin to collapse. The glow subsided, and all fell quiet.

Gin looked up, first at Godzilla, who had now edged a little closer to their position, staring past them at something. The Yokai then followed his gaze, as did Ao, to see a huge smouldering body lying on what had been a row of buildings that had now been flattened. Gin stared. _What the hell?!_

Ao was equally stunned but felt a surge of excitement run through her body. Yes! Godzilla had killed Dagarkra with his … blue fire or whatever it was. It did not matter; the point was their main enemy was dead. Now Gin was doomed. This unexpected move had left Manda as the only one left for them to fight. Now was the time to finish this.

She looked at her brother, meeting his gaze as both tried to process their current predicament. Ao had expected him to throw another fit and try and charge at her or something else, but it was not so. His eyes were wide, mouth was hung open as if he had lost control of it and he just looked lost. He really did not know what to do: his main card for winning this fight was now lying on the ground and out of the fight and Manda was no match for all of them.

"It's over, Gin!" Ao said with a rush of confidence. "You've lost. Dagarkra's dead."

He did not answer but just glanced back at the body of his monster, dumbfounded. How? How could this happen? How could Dagarkra, a demonic creature who had managed to hold is own against Godzilla so far, just be defeated so suddenly? It was not possible! He was supposed to defeat Godzilla, _not_ the other way around! Was it really over for him?! Was he defeated here?

 _No! Not yet!_

He looked back at his sister with a deathly glare, wielding his spears and pointing the ends of both weapons in her direction. Ao gulped a little, seeing that his facial expression, the positioning of his weapons and his tightening grip on them made it clear that her brother was now really, really pissed off. To hell with Godzilla and any of the others who would come over here; he was going to carry on until they were defeated. And the first one to fall was right in front of him.

"No, Ao. You're dead!" he growled, marching towards her.

He went to march towards his sister but the ground shook as something large approached from behind. Gin froze, terrified to look over his shoulder. He did and saw the approaching form of Godzilla, the face of the creature glaring down at him. Teeth bared in a snarl, fists clenched and hanging by his side and eyes narrowed as he neared the hospital, raring to smash the tiny Yokai enemy into paste. His deeds of unleashing such a horrific monster, or monsters on the world deserved only one penalty, and Godzilla was going to deliver it.

Just as he was about a hundred feet from the groin-level building, a sharp, loud bark sounded out from ahead. Godzilla, Ao and Gin looked over and saw, to their surprise, Dagarkra standing over the remains of the buildings he had crashed through moments earlier. He looked terrible; his once blood red torso now charred black, his face partially burned and blistered from the effects of Godzilla's powerful breath, and there were more wounds across his arms and legs as he stood up, grunting heavily in pain. Still, he looked intimidating, and now he looked absolutely furious. He breathed heavily through gritted teeth and his eyes glared at Godzilla, telling him that he was going to pay dearly for shooting him with his atomic breath.

The dragon reared back, took a deep breath and fired a wall of red and gold flame across the city towards them. Buildings, cars, trees, and the few civilians who were unfortunate enough to remain were incinerated as the wall of fire overtook the streets, reaching into every space. Godzilla went wide-eyed, but the flames engulfed him quickly before he could even react to shield himself. Gin and Ao dived for cover but even they were not able to escape unscathed, their skin burning as their clothes were set alight.

On and on it came as Dagarkra let loose with all his strength, his power, his rage. More! More! Burn them all! Incinerate them until they are nothing but dust! This city and its inhabitants will be destroyed. He turned his body to the right and sent the last of his flames shooting across the city towards the second Nana-Gou, setting everything in its path alight. The Nana-Gou, along with a few civilians who had panicked and climbed onto the metallic platform that ran around its centre when Dagarkra had started moving in their direction, was swamped by fire and quickly began burning like a candle. Anyone on the platform was obliterated.

Finally, he stopped and fell on his knees, holding himself up with his hands on the ground, breathing heavily. Dagarkra's flames were powerful but had taken much of his energy, and his flesh burned from the heat. He felt like his heart and lungs had been cooking and were only just starting to cool down. But he had done it. As he looked up at the surrounding city, his eyes falling on the huge form of Godzilla lying on his side next to the now nearly destroyed hospital, he sighed in relief. He had won.

Godzilla was down. And now it was time to finish him off.

* * *

Nearly a mile away, the group watched with shock from atop the rooftop of an apartment building as the city seemed to be in the process of being swallowed up by hell itself. One moment, they, and Manda, had watched Godzilla obliterate Dagarkra with his atomic breath. The next, the demonic monster had struck back with such ferocity that he practically levelled most of the city in doing so. Such apocalyptic scenery had never been seen in Sakurashin before. It was so alien and horrific to them that Kotoha could not help but shed a few tears as her home city was torn apart before her. Kyosuke too looked on helplessly, though part of him hoped that his sister, Touka, had made it out alive.

"Guys, look out!"

Akina's yell snapped the group out of their shocked stance as Manda, who had resumed his cobra-like stance again, slammed his clawed front foot down onto the building. It exploded outward and sent Yae and the boy flying through the air as they were the last to leave the roof. They landed on the building behind where they had been. Akina and Kotoha jumped onto the nearest office building, looking back at Manda as he snarled and surveyed his surroundings, knowing that he had failed to kill them.

"Damn! Close call." Kyosuke gasped with relief.

"Yeah," Akina agreed but quickly realised something. "Wait, where's Kotoha?" He asked in a panicked voice.

Kyosuke looked around him and could not see his Yokai friend anywhere. Oh no! The worst-case scenario hit him as he looked back at Manda. _Was she dead?_

Their question was answered when Manda, who had turned his attention away from them to another building, slammed his other front claw onto it, only for it to hit something.

"What the…?" Akina breathed in shock.

* * *

On said building, Kotoha grunted as she held a large metallic plate above her, pushing with all her might to keep Manda from squashing her. Her Yokai abilities had immediately kicked in but they were not going to save her for long: Manda was a lot bigger, and _a lot_ stronger. She could feel the muscles in her arms beginning to ache as she tried to keep him back. It hurt. Her bones felt like they were beginning to crumble under the immense pressure. She had to do something.

She summoned all her strength, she held up the metallic plate and held out her hand, muttering "RPG!" and one instantly appeared in her hand. Okay. She edged herself as close to the edge of the underside of plate as she could, almost falling on her knees as she did, aimed the RPG at Manda's face and pulled the trigger.

Manda screamed as the projectile collided with his face just below his eye. He immediately removed his hand from the plate and reached up to feel the impact point for any blood. Luckily for him there was none. He turned his attention back to Kotoha, angrily growling at her. She had struck him with a feeble weapon! How dare she! Oh, he was going to make her pay. He would crush her under his hand and, if she survived, hold the human between his fingers and squeeze the life out of her. Kotoha backed away in fear, dropping her RPG on the floor as Manda leaned in towards her, razor teeth foiling her vision.

Something flew out and struck Manda in the side of his head, making him roar out again even louder and he fell on his side, crushing half of a street's worth of parked cars. Kotoha stared, shocked at what had happened. Then Akina and Kyosuke landed near her, the former giving her a small smile and a nod as if to say: _"Got to you just in time."_

"Thanks," Kotoha replied.

"You guys okay?" the voice of the boy piped up as he and Yae landed behind them.

"We're fine," Kyosuke said. "Just gotta keep up the pressure and-"

He was cut off when a jet flew low overhead and then over the hospital area. A second later, an explosion erupted on Dagarkra's shoulder and he roared, almost falling sideways onto a building next to the hospital. Looking up, he grabbed something and tossed it at the jet, but the smaller vehicle's speed meant it was quickly out of range of anything Dagarkra could throw at him, and whatever it was landed far away on the other side of the city near one of the parks. Despite the smoke rising from the various fires across the city, they saw his face contort into a look of fury as he advanced, or more precisely limped towards Godzilla.

"We have to stop him before he gets to Godzilla." Kyosuke said with urgency.

Before the others could reply, movement from in front of their building made them go still as Manda got up from the ground and, having resumed his usual snake-like posture, was glaring down at them with such vehement fury. They momentarily thought that he would start shooting fire at them and set the city even more ablaze and burn them to a crisp. He swung his forward claw at them, this time shearing a chunk out of the front of the building, sending the group scattering across the roof. Kotoha fell on her back near the edge furthest from the monster, hitting her head on the floor and sending her into a daze.

As she began to recover, Manda's form loomed overhead, his eyes falling on her, anger blazing within them. This time she was vulnerable; this time he _would_ crush her.

He lunged towards her, mouth open to reveal hordes of teeth that would clamp down on her miniscule form and end her life once and for all. Kotoha shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable end.

A loud THUD shook her and made her open her eyes to see Kyosuke standing before her, and in front of him the huge face of Manda was being held back by her oni friend. Both grunting heavily as they tried to overpower the other. Kyosuke's eyes glowed red and a pair of red horns grew out of his forehead, a red aura forming around his arms and hands. He was beginning to go full-out with his power, but it was proving to be less than he expected. Manda forced himself forward.

 _Crap, I have to help him!_ Kotoha mentally urged herself.

She rushed up and helped Kyosuke in pushing back Manda, though it was only a little as the gigantic snake-like creature began to pull himself up onto the building, bringing his clawed feet forward. Akina, who was helping Yae, looked up and saw this. Panicked gripped him. His friends were in danger!

"Akina, do it! Now!" Kyosuke shouted at him. "Hurry!"

It was now or never. Leaving Yae with the boy, he rushed forward, pulling out his black staff, aiming straight for Manda's exposed soft neck under his heavy armour. When he reached it, he plunged the staff into the monster's exposed flesh.

Manda reared back and roared louder than ever, this time rising up and then falling on his back with an earth shuddering CRASH that threw several cars and piles of rubble a few feet into the air. He writhed about on the ground for a few moments, crushing several more cars, and scattering rubble over a great distance. He even obliterated a building as his head slammed into it as it tried to remove the pain. Then, as if a switch had been flicked, his form went still. A blinding light filled the air for a moment, causing the group to look away. When it subsided, they looked and saw that the snake-like creature was gone.

Manda had been defeated.

Akina breathed a sigh of relief as he looked back at the others. "Nice work, Akina." Yae said as she limped over, the strike by Manda moments ago having injured her leg.

He nodded, glad it was finally done. Manda had been defeated. That was one less monster for them to deal with. They had no doubt saved each other as well as countless lives by getting rid of him. Now there was only one left.

As all eyes looked over in the direction of Dagarkra, their happiness was quickly replaced with terror at what they saw.

* * *

Panic. That was Ao could do as she held onto the side of the hole above a huge fire about fifty feet below. She frantically tried to pull herself up but the pain in her now blistered and charred arms, side and face made her whimper. It hurt so much: it was like she had been dipped in a huge bowl of acid; her skin feeling like it was peeling off. Oh god, make it stop!

A cry of panic from below made her glance down again to see her brother Gin holding onto his spear, which he had driven into another large piece of rubble. He was hanging from what had been the ceiling of the floor below the roof, his face terrified, having been thrown there when a bomb exploded on Dagarkra a few moments ago and his fall had caused more of the hospital to collapse. No, petrified as his gold eyes looked down at the raging inferno below. Like his sister, his clothes were burned to nothing and hung like rags. His arms were red and angry looking; his head badly burned, as evidenced why part of his hair had been singed, and face was covered in blisters and part of the skin looked like it had melted a bit around the cheeks.

He looked up at Ao, their panicked eyes showing the same fear they held in their please to escape.

"Ao, help!" he cried. "P-please!"

Ao, ignoring any kind of potential inner conflict, slowly but painfully lowered herself towards him. She tried to lower her foot towards the spear and be level with it.

"Climb up and grab my foot." She instructed, yelping with pain.

He obeyed but the building shook as he began to move up. Looking up, the two saw Dagarkra stagger past them, his face angry, yet concentrated. He lunged forward and grabbed hold of what they knew was Godzilla and hoisted him up, his hands grasped around the creature's neck. Godzilla struggled to breath and tried to claw at Dagarkra's face but his demonic enemy knocked his hand away and punched him in the face and threw him hard to the ground. The impact made the hospital shake and the spear loosened a little. Gin yelped and grabbed hold of it tighter, swearing loudly in fear.

"Gin, hang on!" Ao cried. "I'm coming!"

She lowered herself more, but as she tried to hang from one hand it sent another wave of sharp pain up and down her arm. It felt like someone wad ripping it out of her socket: it hurt like hell! Tears stung at her eyes and she actually cried out slightly. But she pushed on. _I have to save my brother!_

"Gin, just reach up and grab me!" she called as she flames seemed to be licking his feet as if eager to swallow and consume him as further fuel for their destructive rage.

He nodded and reached up with his hand reaching for her charred shoe.

The weight was too much and the spear loosened more. Ao and Gin locked eyes one more time. They barely had time to react before the end came loose.

Gin's cries were the only thing that drowned out Ao's as he into the flames, his body quickly being consumed by the flames. His form disappeared from sight and was likely burnt into nothingness. Ao sobbed, burying her head in her arms. _Shit! I failed! I couldn't save him! I couldn't sav-_

The building shook once again and she went wide-eyed, looking up to see more rubble fall around her to feed the flames. She frantically clawed at the side of the hole, desperately trying to grab something. _No! No! No!_

Just then a hand reached out and grabbed hers, gripping it tightly. Ao looked up and her face was overwhelmed with joy.

"Hime!" she exclaimed.

Her mayor friend nodded. "Let's get you out of there." She said.

Ao went to thank her but gasped and shouted a warning to her friend. Hime looked over her shoulder and her breath seemed to get caught in her throat.

Dagarkra loomed over them, the glow of the fires around and in the hospital partially revealing his body silhouetted against the darkness of the night sky. Truly he looked like a demon come from the pits of hell. He stared down at them angrily, furious; seething with rage. He was rage incarnate and he would use it to destroy all. Godzilla had been defeated and now Hime and Ao were next.

He raised his fist high above him, ready to strike it down with all his might and put an end to these two insects once and for all. Hime and Ao shut their eyes, waiting for the end.

More heavy footfalls. A loud crack, a strangled breath followed simultaneously by a weak cry of pain. Something huge was moving. Hime and Ao looked up and saw, to their amazement, Godzilla force Dagarkra to the ground, his jaws clamped around his enemy's shoulder. Dagarkra screeched and punched him but it did not even faze Godzilla: he bit down harder and, grabbing Dagarkra's horns, threw him to the ground. He placed his foot on the creature's chest, pinning him. They locked eyes; the two beasts, battered, weary, exhausted and badly injured, accepting the end of the fight.

 _You have lost!_ Godzilla seemed to communicate to him.

Dagarkra's glare deepened, the aura of hate emanating from him like heat from a radiator. _Only just!_

Blue lights shot up Godzilla's tail once again, his dorsal fins turning into mini-suns. His eyes glowed with a sort of haunting beauty as he reared back a little. And then …

 **FWOOOOOSSSSSHHHHHH!** The jet of blue flame shot out of his mouth and onto Dagarkra's face. Dagarkra screamed in pain and struggled desperately to push Godzilla off. He tried to push him off but his strength faded with every passing second. He clawed at Godzilla's leg and, in one final attempt, even tried to push himself up. But the blue flame kept coming as Godzilla was utterly determined to finish him off.

Finally, Dagarkra's hands fell to the ground with a pair of loud THUDS and moved no more. His face, swamped by the blue fire, caved in and crumbled into dust. Godzilla finished his breath and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

It was over. The fight was finished, and he was victorious.

 **SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ooooooooooooonnnnnnngggghhhhhhh!**

Hime pulled Ao onto the roof, both silent as they looked up at the gigantic form of Godzilla as he stepped off the now lifeless, and headless form of Dagarkra. They could not believe it. They had survived. This had been the fight for their very lives, for their survival and that of Sakurashin, possibly even the entire world. And they won. It was over. They watched the exhausted form of Godzilla breath deeply, looking up and surveying the destruction dealt to the city. The fires were everywhere and much of it had been levelled or badly damaged. Even though such things would normally not trouble him, he did hope that many of the inhabitants got out okay.

As Hime and Ao looked up in amazement at Godzilla, they saw a few figures land on the roof. They faced them and were overcome with joy.

"Guys!" Hime exclaimed.

She and Ao rushed forward and embraced Kotoha, Kyosuke and Akina in a bear hug as Yae and the boy looked up in awe at the huge form of Dagarkra's defeater.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Hime said, her voice breaking into light sobs as tears of joy ran down her face.

"Us too!" Akina said, pulling his mayor friend close to him.

After a few moments, they all let go of each other and withdrew, the relief clear and comforting as they looked at one another.

"We did it," Kotoha said. "We won. Sakurashin is saved."

Hime nodded. "What happened to Manda?" she asked with slight concern. "Did he escape?"

Akina shook his head. "We got him. I sent him back to the Otherworld. He won't be a threat anymore."

Hime nodded, happy that not only had they defeated their enemy monsters but they were now well and truly gone for good.

"What about Gin?" Kyosuke asked.

Ao's face fell a little and she looked down at the ground, trying hard not to let the tears fall. "He's dead." Was all she said.

The others stared at her, that answer completely flooring them and leaving them speechless. Kotoha went to ask how but Hime silenced her with a slight shake of her head. _Not now. She needs time._ Kotoha obeyed with a nod and put an arm around her cat-eared friend, muttering reassurances.

Silence fell among them as the group returned to looking up at Godzilla, his face weary from combat that had nearly cost him his life. But he had survived, and it would not have happened with his new-found friends.

Manda and, more importantly, Dagarkra were defeated. Sakurashin and the world were saved.

Victory was theirs.

* * *

 **Author's note: Hey fellow FF readers and writers. We are coming towards the end of the FF now. I have 2 more small epilogue chapters planned to tie everything up. I will post them over the next week.**

 **Thank you all for reading.**


	22. Epilogue

**The next day  
**

Shock. Absorbance. Acceptance. Recovery. Those were the four words that Hime had repeated to herself several times as she and the others had observed the remains of their shattered, burning home of Sakurashin many times throughout the remainder of the night and early in the morning. Even now she stood on the roof of the main building in the temple complex, looking out over the many devastated sections, all of which were easily distinguishable by the layer of smoke hovering above them. Helicopters flew back and forth across the city, some of them army and dropping supplies to and from the city and assisting in the evacuation of the survivors that were constantly being found under the rubble left by the fight. One or two news helicopters circled the areas where Dagarkra's body lay, the massive faceless hulk having been cornered off by the army and police as they directed civilians and rescue workers around it. The head was still smoking from the atomic breath, despite about six hours having passed sine Godzilla had killed the demonic monster.

Hime sighed heavily, wiping some dust off her yellow t-shirt that she had changed into after they arrived there. Even though they had won, it had been costly. _With great victory comes great sacrifice. I always knew Teddy's words meant something here._ Sakurashin had been devastated and it was so far estimated that around 1,000 had died, many of them civilians; the primary cause being falling rubble or were caught in the path of the fighting behemoths. Manda's rampage, or more correctly his persistence in trying to get to the city had also left several hundred dead in the villages that were unfortunate enough to be in his path, and among the army when they tried to slow him down. Even though convoys of trucks carrying medical supplies and more rescue workers and volunteers were on their way, and many of the inhabitants having escaped with their lives, it was blatantly obvious Sakurashin would take a long time to recover.

 _And what's more; it's changed._ Hime thought to herself, exhaling a breath through her nose as she sat down on the tiles and placed a hand on her shoulder. _And not for the better._

As she sat there, she pulled open part of her t-shirt to look, for about the fiftieth time, at the bandage that was wrapped around her shoulder. A small circle of dry blood was visible in the centre of the bandage, a clear reminder of the injury she had sustained last night, and what it possibly could have become had Gin been aiming more to the left. Thankfully, it was not a very serious injury, and Hime, after having it treated by Juri and another doctor who had escaped from the hospital and the surrounding area shortly before Dagarkra had reached it, had continued with making sure that everyone was safe and out of harm's way. It had only been on the insistence of the others to have a break, and her having to begrudgingly admit the pain in the wound was still strong, that she found herself here.

 _The place, or at least one of the places where all this mess began. And as for the spear …_

She looked back down at the main building from her vantage point atop the small structure to the side of the main building. Though the front of the roof jutted out over the entrance, preventing her from completely seeing into the room, her eyes landed on the place she thought the new glass cabinet the spear was placed in. Ao's actions last night had destroyed her brother's spear but the Dragon Spear Hime's grandmother had bequeathed to her had been damaged too. The jade green crystal was slightly cracked from having been used to summon the creatures; Gin having not noticed this simply because he did not give a shit. They had managed to stop it from falling into the fiery pit the hospital had been turned into during the battle between the monsters. As for Gin's spear, they had taken it and the crystal and locked them away in a box. It was sitting in one of the side rooms in the main building right now but Hime did not care about it at that moment. Despite the power the crystal, and whoever its holder was wielded she just did not care anymore. She'd had enough of summoning things from the Otherworld and bringing monsters to Japan and such. Right now, she just needed to forget about it and focus on rebuilding everything her and her grandmother had worked to create here.

"Hime!"

The mayor looked down to see Akina standing there, looking up at her with a concerned expression. "You okay?"

 _Am I okay? What does he think?!_ She thought irritably, but immediately hated herself for thinking that way. _No, give him a break! He's just looking out for me, even_ if _it's supposed to be the other way around._

"Hime?" he asked again, his voice noticeably more worried.

"I'm okay," she replied monosyllabically though she did not sound it.

"You're not fooling me, Hime," he said sternly. "C'mon!"

She looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. _Akina being assertive? Damn, this has been a big change for us all._

Still, she decided against arguing and jumped down and landed in front of him, her movement graceful as it was effortless for her. She glanced at him and then down at the ground, still evidently down after the events of the previous night. Akina saw this and took a step closer to his mayor; no, his friend.

"Hime, I know you're feeling sad. But be happy that we did it." He told her. "I mean, the city and its people are safe, the Nana-Gou are still standing – or at least five of them are. And _we're_ still alive."

"But we could have stopped it, Akina," she replied almost immediately, still not meeting his gaze. "And look at us," she added, this time showing him her pained expression which was only matched by the feeling of failure and being hopeless that her friend could spot all too well in her monotone voice. "We've been fighting each other, I've put myself and us in danger and I didn't save everyone."

Akina shook his head a little, refusing to let her beat herself up like this. No! No, she could not do this to herself. Hime had done her best, we all did.

"Hime, we were taken by surprise!" Akina said, taking another step towards her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Nobody could have stopped what happened. You shouldn't beat yourself up for something like this."

"Akina, you don't understand. You're not the mayor; you don't have to take responsibility for people dying and failing to save them. But I do!"

Akina sighed and looked at her more seriously. "Hime, we're all part of a team; therefore, we all feel the same as you do, as do many others out there. You're not alone in that. No, listen to me! You did what you could. We all did but it just wasn't enough to save everyone. But we have to accept it, no matter how sad it is, and move on."

She wanted to reply harshly, to snap at him. Hell, she even wanted to push his hand off her shoulder and take a swing at him. But she knew he was right: Hime could not act as if she was the only one suffering here. They were all a team and had tried to stop Dagarkra, Manda and Gin together. It was unfortunate that many civilians, police officers, and army soldiers had perished but they had saved many more.

 _If only it had been everyone though_ she still mentally cursed herself.

"Hime," Akina said, his voice softer and more sympathetic. "Look, trust me; we all feel bad, but we have to be strong now. Sakurashin needs us. If we couldn't save everyone last night, then we can now."

She nodded, part of her thinking it was unintentional, but she was glad nonetheless. Akina was right. They had to be strong now: the survivors needed them, and they needed each other. Especially Ao.

"Mayor!" a deep voice barked out from nearby. The two looked to see a tall, burly looking soldier approaching. "We were looking for you. Command needs some confirmation on three targets. Namely, the large grey one called Godzilla or whatever, Manda, and a fugitive we've traced because of the testimonies of the three attackers in the square last night."

Hime stepped forward. "Godzilla's gone. He left last night after the battle. I don't know where he is." She paused and the soldier looked to Akina as if expecting him to give a more positive answer but he too just shrugged nonchalantly. _Don't ask me. I don't know._

The soldier pursed his lips together, clearly dissatisfied but said nothing more.

"Very well: And Manda?" he continued.

Akina explained to him what happened to Manda, leaving out most details.

"Okay, so that's one less creature to deal with. Nice work," He commented, ending the sentence with an approving tone. "And the fugitive?"

Hime and Akina looked at one another as if they were afraid to reveal what had happened to him. Even though they really believed he was dead, given how Ao had explained it to them whilst trying not to break down, for some reason they still thought that they had not seen the last of him.

* * *

"Okay, there you go. Put him in the ambulance."

Two paramedics wheeled the stretcher through a cleared pathway towards a waiting ambulance. All around them was devastation. Rubble was strewn across the street, several trees lay uprooted and broken in the road, cars were squashed flat, and every so often one could see a white tent set up. It was an indication that they had come across the gory remains of someone who had been unfortunate enough to be crushed under the behemoths during their fight. There had been many people who met that fate, or had come close to it and were now fighting for their lives in the makeshift hospitals at several locations around or outside the city.

As they reached the ambulance, one of the paramedics looked down at the male they and the firefighters had recently come across. Part of his face was scarred, his clothes were mostly blackened and torn, and his arm was in a sling. Bruises and cuts lined his body, dried blood marking some of them. What really stood out were the eyes. They were closed and the face was expressionless, still, calm, serene. If they had not detected a pulse on him, anyone else would have thought he was dead.

"Damn lucky we found him before the fire finished him off," the paramedic commented to his colleague, who nodded.

"Yep. Same with that other guy. Though Ikeda told me he might lose his eye."

The first paramedic shook his head a little, the feeling of someone being blind in one eye completely unsettling to him. Yet, he had to admit it was better them, and _not_ him. In no way did he want to lose an eye, or a foot, or anything for that matter. And he could imagine that the other person, along with everyone else around them, felt the same way.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he and his colleague lifted the injured man into the ambulance, climbed in and shut the door. A second later the ambulance sprung to life and drove off, weaving in and out of the various crowds of people as they struggled to come to terms with this new landscape around them. Within a few moments, it had disappeared into the multitude of cars, people and the thin layer of smoke and dust that hung in the air.

Sakurashin had indeed changed, dear readers. And what the future held for it and its people was uncertain at this time.

 **Author's note**

 **Hey fellow FF readers and writers.**

 **I hope you are all doing well. I'm glad to have finally brought an end to this FF. it took longer than I had originally hoped, and I apologise for it taking so long. Hopefully my Moana/Kong crossover will not go through the same thing.**

 **Anyway, just as a couple of extra things. Firstly, I combined the two epilogue chapters into one because posting a less than 800-word chapter as one of them was pointless, and it fit better here.**

 **Second, and lastly, many of you are probably wondering if there will be a sequel to this. The answer is yes. I do have a sequel planned for this, and hopefully it will be better and not go through the same writing process as the first. However, it will not be on FF for at least a year because of other work I want to publish or finish.**

 **Till then, take care everyone and I hope to see you and your reviews again soon.**


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